Memoirs of the Princesse de Ligne, Volume II

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THE GIFT OF

MAY TREAT MORRISONIN MEMORY OF

ALEXANDER F MORRISON

MEMOIRSOF THE

j&rtncesse toe 3Ugne

MEMOIRSOF THE

iprincesse be ILtgnr

EDITED BY

LUCIEN PEREY

TRANSLATED BY LAURA ENSOR

IN TWO VOLUMES.— VOL. II.

NEW YORKSCRIBNER AND WELFORD

1887

Printed by R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh

".8

CONTENTS

CHAPTER IV

Arrival of the Prince-Bishop in Paris—Letters from Madame de

Pailly—Letters from the Princesse de Ligne-Lichtenstein—The

Abbe Baudeau at Bel (Eil—Arrival of the de Lignes in Paris

—Marriage of Helene and Prince Charles—Their departure

for Brussels ....... Page I

CHAPTER V

An entertainment at Bel CEil—The Ligne family—The Court at

Brussels—Prince Charles of Lorraine—The ladies at Court

—

Letter of the Chevalier de ITsle—The Prince de Ligne at

Versailles—The Prince's letter to his son Charles . . 24

CHAPTER VI

The two Princes journey to Berlin— Portrait of Frederick the

Great—Journey to Saint Petersburg—-Portrait of the Empress

Catherine— Return journey through Poland—The Bishop's

residence at Werky—The Diet at Warsaw—The Indigenat—The return to Bel CEil ...... 52

438719

CONTENTS

CHAPTER VII

Life at Bel CEil—The Archduchess Christine, Governor of the

Netherlands—The Comte d'Artois at Bel CEil

—

Le Manage de

Figaro—The Comtesse de Sabran and the Chevalier de

Boufflers Page 72

CHAPTER VIII

Prince Charles purchases a hotel in Paris—Birth of Sidonie—The

insurrection in Flanders—Winter in Vienna—Joseph II. and

his Court— First representation of Don Juan— Haydn and

Mozart—The Comtesse de Kinsky—Prince Charles's affection

for her—Helene's departure for Warsaw • • • 95

CHAPTER IX

The Prince de Ligne's departure for Saint Petersburg—Journey

through Tauris—Interview at Kherson—War declared against

the Turks—Alliance between Austria and Russia—The Prince

de Ligne as Russian General—Potemkin and Romanzoff—The

taking of Sabaez— Prince Charles at the storming of

Sabaez—Letters from the Emperor Joseph to the Prince-father

—Letters from the Prince de Ligne to his son—The Governor

of Kaminiecz—The Prince's return to Vienna—Siege of Bel-

grade 120

CHAPTER X

The four years' Diet—The Court at Warsaw and the Princesse

Charles— Festivities of the great Polish lords—Count Vincent

Potocki and his two wives—The Princesse Charles and Count

Potocki—Flight to Niemirow—Two divorce suits . 158

CONTENTS

CHAPTER XI

The rebellion in Flanders—Death of Joseph II.—Prince Charles

in the Russian service—The storming of Ismail—Return to

Vienna— Helene at Kowalowska—The Count's journey to

Paris—The Lignes refuse to grant a divorce—The Count's

illness ........ Page 192

CHAPTER XII

Return of the Princes to Mons— Emigration in Belgium—Arepresentation of Richard Caitr de Lion— Prince Charles

re-enters the Austrian service—He represents the Emperor

on his inauguration as Count of Hainault—War with France

— Dumouriez in Champagne—The fight at Croix -aux-

Bois— Death of Prince Charles— Despair of the Prince de

Ligne ......... 230

CHAPTER XIII

Prince Charles's Will— Helene receives the news of her hus-

band's death—Departure for Werky—Helene marries Count

Potocki ......... 257

IV

Arrival of the Prince-Bishop in Paris—Letters from Madame de

Pailly—Letters from the Princesse de Ligne-Lichtenstein—The

Abbe Baudeau at Bel CEil—Arrival of the de Lignes in Paris

—Marriage of Helene and Prince Charles—Their departure

for Brussels.

The Prince-Bishop at last decided to start

for Paris. He had hardly arrived when he

received a visit from Madame de Pailly, who

informed him of his niece's inclinations, and

explained to him the progress of affairs. The

Bishop earnestly requested to see the Prin-

cesse de Ligne- Luxembourg herself, but at

that moment she was staying with Madame

de Brionne at her country place of Limours.

Madame de Pailly at once resumes her pen :

—

"The Prince-Bishop, Madame, is always

inquiring whether you have returned ; he is

extremely desirous to have the honour of

VOL. II 19

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

seeing you, and I should be very glad if you

could seriously discuss the matter with him.

"Occasions on which I can prove to you my

zeal and entire devotion will not be wanting

with so vacillating a mind;you will be able to

say through me anything you please. I will

see to everything, and render you a faithful

account of what happens. But it seems to

me that we must settle between ourselves

what is to be the point of departure. He

has referred several times to the question

of settlements, especially with regard to the

present. Would it not be better to present

him with a copy of the deed of property? It

would hurry on the transaction, and be a wise

measure.

"The Prince de Salm's agents are very

active ; he constantly alludes to him, and he

listens to my replies as if they were quite

new to him ; he goes on confiding to my ear

all the proposals that are made to him. Wehave three fresh rivals, who, for the present,

however, give me no anxiety."

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

The desired explanations at last arrived

from Brussels, in the following letter :

—

The Princesse de Ligne-Lichtenstein to

the Princesse de Ligne-Luxembourg.

" I trust, Princess, you do not doubt the

tenderness of my feelings towards you ; the

gratitude I now owe you can only increase

it.

" I have the honour to enclose the paper

concerning M. de Ligne's property. For

the last year he has put all his affairs into my

hands, and as I sign everything and collect

all the revenues, and M. de Ligne even

gives me the receipts for the money he draws

from the estates, I can guarantee the exact-

ness of the document.

" I am too sure of my husband's affection

for you, Princess, and the confidence he has

in your judgment, not to feel certain that

he will agree to any arrangement you may

choose to make for his son. I be°f to entreat

you, Madame, in case you should think an

4 PRINCESSE BE EIGNE \v

income of twenty-five thousand livres 1 not

sufficient for the present, to fix the sum your-

self, for I only require one more year to

settle the affairs of our house (public opinion

having kindly reported that they were in a

much more confused state than I found them

to be). I can promise you to honour any

arrangements and liabilities that you will

undertake for our young people. All they

will have to do when they draw their in-

come every three months will be to sign

their names. I have made it a rule in busi-

ness to consider as sacred the dates on which

income or pensions fall due.

" The affection I bear towards my children

leading me perhaps to overlook their faults,

it would ill become me to praise our son, but

I must believe the testimony of those who

knew him at Strasburg during several years;

and at the present moment we have every

reason to be satisfied with the character he

bears in the army.

1 One thousand pounds sterling.

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

" Pray, therefore, do not relax your kindness

towards him, and let your efforts conduce to

his happiness. Youwill also be contributingto-

wards mine, for to see him settled and to be sur-

rounded by mychildren will be mygreatest joy.

" Receive, Princess, the assurance of mydeepest respect and esteem," etc. etc.

This letter had a wonderful effect on the

uncle, but did not move his niece.

"The young lady," writes Madame de

Pailly, " is infatuated with M. de Salm ; he

has some emissary about her whom we do not

know, and who demolishes beforehand all we

can say againsthim. Even the Comtede Horn's

name has been brought forward as an honour,

on account of the Regent's phrase 1 about him.

"The good uncle feels his own weak-

1 The Comte de Horn, a connection of the Regent through his

mother, the Princess-Palatine, was condemned to death for murder.

The family implored his pardon, appealing to the Regent on the

ground of relationship. " When I have bad blood," the Regent

coldly replied, " I have it drawn," and the pardon was refused.

It is probable that they boasted to Helene of the connection

between the Horn and Orleans families without mentioning the

Count's crime.

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

ness, and carefully endeavours to hide it

;

he has agreed to everything with me, and,

as I have been fortunate enough to per-

suade him, he fancies I shall have the same

success with his niece, as if they were in the

same frame of mind. To-day he is going

to use all his influence, and at the same time

inform her of the visit he wishes me to make,

and of the entire trust he desires she should

have in me. I shall lend myself to all his

wishes, and shall have the honour of sending

you a report of this interview. Receive, I

pray," etc.

The uncle did not meet with the slightest

success in his efforts to overcome his niece's

resistance. Madame de Pailly was obliged

to confess it to her correspondent :" There

is one point, Madame, on which I think

you will be obliged to give way ; the Bishop

asserts that he can only overcome his niece's

passionate wish to be married in Paris by

pledging his word that she shall spend three

winters there under your guidance, so as to

PRIXCESSE BE LJGNE

get accustomed to the fashionable world. Heappears to attach great importance to this

promise ; for he feels the great advantage it

would be to his niece. You still have time,

Madame, to think over this matter, for we

can discuss the other points in the mean-

time ; I will tell you what they are when I

see you. ..."

The Princesse de Ligne kept her nephew

informed of all these negotiations ; as for the

Prince's father, he was still detained with the

army, waiting for peace to be signed. Prince

Charles wrote a short cold note to his aunt, in

which he did not even allude to his marriage :

—

"My dear Aunt— Although peace has

been declared the Congress is not yet over;

my father is very displeased at it ; he is still

in a wretched village, feeling very dull, with

nothing to do.

" He will certainly go to Paris as soon as he

can ; I envy him the pleasure he will have in

seeing you, my dear aunt.

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

" Allow me to assure you from time to time

of the feelings of affection and respect with

which I remain all my life," etc. etc.

The coolness the Prince displayed will be

easily understood when we learn that he al-

ready felt for a friend of his childhood a love

which was never completely effaced. But, ac-

customed as he was absolutely to respect the

paternal or rather the maternal will, it never

entered his mind for one moment not to

obey.

His mother had eagerly agreed to their

cousin's plans. Helene's large fortune, the iso-

lated position of the young girl, which would

tend to make her adopt her husband's family

as her own, had quite won over the Prin-

cess, who ignored or pretended to ignore her

son's secret affection. She therefore perse-

vered in her efforts, hoping to succeed, though

the object in view was not easy to attain.

The Bishop of Wilna had been won over

to the de Lignes, but he had many a hard

PRINCESSE DE EIGNE

battle to fight, for an unforeseen circumstance

had strengthened Helene's resolution not to

leave Paris. Her friend, Mademoiselle de

Lauraguais, had married the Due Auguste

d'Aremberg, cousin of the de Lignes, who,

like him, resided for part of the year at the

Court of Brussels. The young Duchess re-

turned to Paris for some time, and at once

visited her former companions at the Abbaye-

aux-Bois. She had heard of Prince Charles'

proposed marriage, and gave Helene a most

gloomy description of life in Brussels. The

latter immediately repeated this to her uncle,

making the picture several shades darker.

The poor Bishop did not know who to listen

to ; in the midst of his perplexities he

determined to despatch the Abbe Baudeau,

who was always at hand, to Bel CEil,1 giving

him instructions to confer verbally with the

Princesse de Ligne on the delicate subject of

a residence in Paris, as well as on the money

1 Bel CEil was the summer residence of the Princes de Ligne,

and will often be referred to later on.

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

question. He was allowed great latitude on

this latter point, and accordingly set off.

Madame de Pailly lost no time, and again

wrote to the Princesse de Ligne-Luxembourg

:

"We have had news of the envoy, Madame,

and we hear he is much pleased with every-

thing, but he sends word that Madame la

Princesse de Ligne will not hear of a three

years' residence in Paris.

" The Bishop appeared to me very much

disturbed at the effect this would have on his

niece, as she had always held to this con-

dition. You know there is nothing more

difficult to overcome than the fancies of a

young person, and unfortunately she has been

confirmed in this one by all that Madame

d'Aremberg de Lauraguais has told her.

The Abbe will arrive perhaps to-day; I shall

be there, and we will first work upon the

uncle, so as to make him work upon his

niece.

" M. de Salm will not give way ; he has

sent his picture to his friend at the Convent,

PRINCESSE DE EIGNE

and she has invited the Princess Helene to a

collation, given in a room of which this portrait

forms the chief ornament.

" I was at the opera with a lady who is

much interested in this fine gentleman, and

she said :' What does it signify whether you

are a scamp or not when you have a name

and a large fortune ? Look, for instance, at

so and so,' etc.

" God forbid that such morality should

enter the head of our prelate and his niece.

In the meantime I amused myself last night

by quietly challenging my free-spoken young

friend to tell me all the naughty stories about

this charming Prince. The good Bishop bore

it with a slightly embarrassed air, which quite

amused me.

" I shall have the honour, Madame, to give

you an account of the envoy's return, and of

all its consequences. I beg you not to be

impatient, and to rely on my zeal and myintense desire to do all that is agreeable to

you.

12 PRINCESSE DE L1GNE iv

" Receive," etc.

It was not long before the Abbe returned,

and, though he had not succeeded in ob-

taining the promise of a residence in Paris,

he had done much to push the matter forward.

He brought magnificent fruit and flowers to

the young Princess from Bel CEil, and in the

description he gave of the almost regal mag-

nificence of the place he neglected none of

the details which were likely to charm and

flatter her vanity. He had granted hand-

some pecuniary conditions, and the Princess,

on her part, had seemed disposed to accept

the marriage - contract proposed by the

Abbe.

Madame de Pailly to the Princesse de

Ligne-Luxembourg.

"All is going on wonderfully well, Madame;

you will find the Prince and his envoy very

well satisfied. At dinner we had a melon

from Bel CEil, and peaches were sent to the

Princess Helene. I proposed the health of

iv PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 13

the giver ; but they will tell you the rest. I

am rejoiced at the position of affairs.

" The Abbe may have every possible fault,

but he confirms me in my opinion that one

can do nothing with fools and everything

with intelligent people. The young Princess

is converted, and her good uncle, agreeing to

the Abbe's expedient, says : 'It will cost

me thirty thousand livres1 a year more to

make my niece happy. I will do it, Madame,

if only you are satisfied.'"

The Princesse de Ligne - Luxembourg

wrote to her cousin to give her this good

news, and to urge her to come to Paris as

soon as possible ; but she was in no hurry,

and, like a prudent mother, wished above all,

to settle everything relating to the income and

household arrangements of the future young

couple, for whom she dreaded certain tempta-

tions, from which she herself had suffered.

She again sent her steward to Paris with two

1 Twelve hundred pounds sterling.

14 PRINCESSE DE L/GNE

letters, one of which was a confidential one to

her cousin.

Bel CEil, igih January 1779.

" I despatch you my steward, Princess;

he will have the honour of handing you this

letter, and I have instructed him to carry

out exactly whatever you are kind enough to

order.

"The Prince arrived at Vienna on the 5th

of June ; I therefore think he will soon be

home again, in which case I should only

go to Paris with him, or even a couple of

days later, if I can possibly avoid going

before.

"In any case, Princess, I shall await your

orders. I reserve myself the pleasure of

assuring you personally of all my gratitude.

I have never doubted the success of any-

thing which you were good enough to take

in hand.

" As our young people will not have to

receive, and as the ordinary expenses of the

household cannot possibly absorb all their

iv PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 15

income, I fear that too large a fortune may-

be hurtful to them, and lead perhaps to

gambling, or other extravagances, which

would do them harm, and which they

would always consider themselves obliged

to increase in proportion to their income

;

especially when they will come into their

respective fortunes. I look at this matter

from a mother's point of view. Pray do not

let it go beyond the family."

The Princesse de Ligne-Luxembourg told

the Bishop of her cousin's wise advice, but

no attention was paid to it. The Congress of

Teschen was over, and the Prince de Ligne

was returning home slowly, for he always

found much to delay him on the road. Wewill not inquire into the nature of these

delays ; he, however, found sufficient time

to write a few lines from Vienna to his

cousin, and to the Bishop of Wilna, which

he had neglected doino" for the last two

months.

i6 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

To THE PRINCESSE DE LlGNE-LuXEMBOURG.

" I am told, Princess, that, thanks to your

kindness, all is going on well, also that you

have done me the honour of writing to

me. ... I have not received anything.

They say I must write to the Bishop. I beg

you will give him the enclosed letter.

"If you have any commands to give

me, address them to the Post Office at

Munich ; I shall find them in passing

through.

" All the information I receive from Poland

appears to coincide with our views.

" I place myself at your feet, Princess, and

beg to assure you that my gratitude is equal

to my tender and respectful attachment.

" Le Prince de Ligne."

A few days after the receipt of this letter

they had agreed upon all points ; a draft of

the settlement was drawn up, and the Prin-

cesse de Ligne and her son announced

their arrival.


In spite of the very small inclination the

young Prince felt for this marriage, he ex-

perienced a certain curiosity to see his future

bride. As for Helene, she was far more in-

terested in her outfit, her presents, and her

diamonds than in her husband. Among

other things, she had been promised "certain

girandoles 1 and diamond bracelets of wonder-

ful beauty—old family jewels, that she was

most impatient to see, and she was in a

great fright lest they should be left behind

at Brussels." Her future aunt undertook to

explain this childlike anxiety to the wife of

the steward, so that she might remind the

Princess to bring these precious trinkets.

She answered as follows :

—

" On my return home I found a letter

from the Princess, announcing her immediate

arrival, and adding that she is bringing

with her the girandoles and the bracelets

;

so the Princesse Helene need have no cause

1 Large diamond earrings that were worn with the Court dress.

VOL. II 20

i8 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

for anxiety. I shall have the honour of pay-

ing her my respects on Monday. We have

also heard, through M. le Comte Tasson, that

M. le Prince de Liene will reach Brussels,

at the latest, on Monday. I hasten to apprise

your Highness of the fact, and beg she will

accept the assurance of deepest respect," etc.

The Princesse de Ligne's first visit was

to her cousin. She there found the Prince-

Bishop awaiting her arrival. After a long

conversation and endless compliments on

either side, it was settled that the Bishop

should escort the Princess and her son to

the Abbaye-aux-Bois.

Helene, who had been warned the day

before, was very much vexed at having to

make her first appearance in her school dress;

but no exception could be made to the rule.

She went down to the parlour accompanied

by Madame de Sainte Delphine, and very soon

perceived that the plainness of her dress did

not prevent the Prince from thinking her very


pretty. Though she pretended to cast her

eyes modestly down during the visit, she took

care to see enough of her future husband to

be able to say to her companions on returning :

" He is fair, has a tall slight figure, and re-

sembles his mother, who is very handsome;

he has a noble mien, but he is too serious, and

there is something German about him!"

The Prince's father arrived three days

later.

" I abandon M. de Ligne to your indigna-

tion, Princess," his wife writes to their cousin;

" you may prepare her for his arrival, which

will certainly be either to-day or to-morrow ;

it fills me with the greatest joy !"

The Prince-father had his head completely

turned by his future daughter-in-law, who did

all she could to please him, intuitively feeling

that he was the one with whom she could

best sympathise.

Having no family in Paris, it was decided

that Helene's marriage should be celebrated

in the chapel of the Abbaye-aux-Bois, to the

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

great delight of the pupils. The Bishop gave

his niece an outfit worth a hundred thousand

ecus;

l the wedding casket, offered by the

Lignes, was provided by Leonard ; the laces,

ordered at Brussels and Mechlin, were real

masterpieces of work. The jewels offered to

Helene, besides the family diamonds and the

famous girandoles, were chosen by herself at

Barriere's and at Drey's. She gave a trinket

to each of her companions in the red class,

and a magnificent luncheon, with ices, was

given by the Prince-Bishop to all the pupils,

1 The Princesse Helene received as her marriage -portion

Mogylani, an estate with a residence and country-houses, two

palaces at Cracow and one at Warsaw. Prince Radziwill owed the

Massalski family a sum of one million eight hundred thousand Polish

florins, inherited through Helene's mother. He had given them as

interest three important estates, of which half the income belonged

to Helene, and the other half to her brother. The Prince-Bishop

promised to give and guarantee the Princess, from her wedding-

day, a clear income of sixty thousand livres, payable in Paris, and

to pay all their expenses in the event of their remaining in that city.

On the other hand, the Prince de Ligne promised to give his son,

on his wedding-day, a revenue of thirty thousand livres, and in

addition to lodge the pair at Brussels, or Bel OZil, or Vienna, in

one of his palaces or residences. If they had any children, at the

end of four years the Prince promised to double the sum of

money.

PRINCESSE DE EIGNE

including the little blues, who each received

in addition a bag of sweetmeats.

The marriage-contract was signed at Ver-

sailles by their Majesties and the royal family,

the 25th of July 1779. The wedding took

place on the 29th at the Abbaye-aux-Bois.

It is needless to add that Helene's nurse,

Mademoiselle Bathilde Toutevoix, took part

in the festivities. She adorned her pretty

mistress to the very best of her ability, and

the poor girl's head was so completely turned

with joy that she even forgot her cockades. 1

She came down to the parlour after the bride,

and modestly hid herself in a corner. Prince

Charles approached her, and slipped into her

hand his wedding present—an annuity of six

hundred livres.2 Helene was much touched

with this attention. " I thanked him," she

says, " by a smile and pressure of the hand,

the first I had granted him."

1 She was in the habit of bedizening herself with them, and Helene

does not forget to mention in her memoranda that on that day

she forgot them.

2 Twenty-four pounds sterling.

PRTNCESSE DE LIGNE

The bride was led to the altar by her

uncle, and by the Marquise Wielopolska, who

took the place of her mother. The Duchesses

de Choiseul, de Mortemart, de Chatillon,

de la Valliere, etc., were present at the

ceremony. The young Princess, exquisitely

lovely in her bridal dress, fully satisfied the

company by her " decent attitude, which was

full of feeling " (style of that day). After

receiving the congratulations of the brilliant

assembly, Helene went up to her apartment

to change her costume ; but, instead of return-

ing immediately to the parlour, she quickly

made her way to the choir chapel, where

Madame de Rochechouart was buried, and

kneeling on the tomb of the one who had

been to her as a mother, she offered up to

God her last girlish prayer. When she re-

turned to the parlour she was rather pale, and

her eyes showed signs of tears ; but at the

gates of the Abbey a post-chaise, drawn

by six chafing horses, was awaiting ; the

postilions, in the pink and silver livery of


the Prince, being scarcely able to hold them;

Helene, after a rapid farewell, was hurried

into the carriage by her young husband, and

they started at full gallop for Brussels.

V

An entertainment at Bel CEil—The Ligne family—The Court at

Brussels—Prince Charles of Lorraine—The ladies at Court

—

Letter of the Chevalier de ITsle—The Prince de Ligne at

Versailles—The Prince's letter to his son Charles.

The young couple first established themselves

at Bel GEil, the magnificent summer residence

of the Prince de Ligne. The Marshal was

passionately attached to this regal abode, on

which his father had lavished several millions.

The property was composed of a succes-

sion of gardens, forests, parks, mansions,

and shooting boxes, which the Prince de

Ligne had designed with the most perfect

taste. It was here that he preferred receiv-

ing his guests, and that he successively

entertained the Prince de Conde, the King

of Sweden, the Comte d'Artois, Prince Henry

of Prussia, etc. Helene was dazzled by the

v PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 25

splendour of her new abode. A brilliant

reception had been prepared in her honour.

On the very day after her arrival, which

had taken place in the evening, the young

Princess, on opening her windows, perceived

an immense park full of villagers elegantly

attired as shepherds and shepherdesses, their

dresses more like those of Watteau and

Lancret than those commonly worn by the

Flemish peasants. The Prince's dragoons

were making merry at tables on the lawn;

and a little farther off, in a grove, might

be seen puppet shows, in another tight- rope

dancers ; a rural ballroom was established on

a green sward ; under a leafy bower a magi-

cian was distributing sham ointments in

little boxes, which contained sweetmeats and

trinkets. In another spot a bard was gaily

reciting verses, composed by the Prince in

honour of the newly-married pair ; and if the

composition was not brilliant in versification,

it yet could boast of grace and art suffi-

cient to compensate for its defects ; finally,

26 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE v

Aufresne and Preville, who had arrived that

same morning from Paris, were playing impro-

vised proverbs in the private theatre of the

residence. The festivities lasted the whole

day ; after dinner the proverbs were replaced

by a comedy in one act, with interludes of song,

entitled, Colette and Lucas, composed by the

Prince de Ligne in honour of his daughter-

in-law. 1 The audience was composed of

brilliant officers and fine ladies, who had come

expressly from Brussels and even Versailles

for the occasion. The play, though worthless,

was courteously applauded ; but another had

been prepared in order to compensate the

spectators. Night having come on during

the representation, sudden floods of light

springing up in brilliant sheaves between

the trees greeted the guests as they emerged

from the theatre, and in the thickets fairylike

illuminations lit up the arbours ; it was im-

1 This comedy was printed in the private press at Bel OZil in

1 78 1. The only copy known to be extant is in H.R.H. the Due

d'Aumale's library at Chantilly.


possible to see the lamps, cleverly hidden

under the foliage. " It was not night," says

Helene : "it was silvery daylight."

The married couple appeared enchanted

one with the other, with a shade more of

tenderness on the part of the Prince. Helene's

beauty, grace, and intelligence surprised and

charmed him ; he had not expected to find

these qualities united in the person of a child

of fifteen. Every one was under the same

impression, and the Dowager- Princess herself,

who was not easy to please, wrote as follows,

some time after the wedding, to the Princesse

de Ligne-Luxembourg :

—

Bel CEil, 20th August 1779.

" Again I renew my thanks, Princess, and

reiterate the expressions of gratitude I owe

you. Our child is most charming, docile, and

gentle, having no will of her own, and amused

at everything ; in fact all that could be desired

in a daughter-in-law if she were moulded by

one's self. She has been quite a success with

all who have seen her in these parts.

28 PRINCESSE DE LIGXE v

" As our children have both had the honour

of writing to you, I will not, for fear of re-

petition, give you the details of our journey.

Moreover, his Grace the Bishop of Wilna

will have told you all ; he appeared himself

very well pleased with our country. Do

try, Princess, to make him send my son his

niece's portrait, in whatever style he prefers,

even if it be that little pencil drawing we saw

at the Abbaye-aux-Bois ; and do not doubt,

Princess, of the tender sentiments," etc.

etc.

The Prince- Bishop had indeed been

delighted with his stav in Flanders ; the

amiability of the family of Ligne, the har-

monious relationship existing between its

members, the distinguished intelligence and

the kindness of Prince Charles in particular,

all contributed to assure him of his niece's

future happiness. He left her thoroughly

satisfied.

For the first time Helene was going to be


acquainted with family life ; she could not

have had a better beginning, for the Lignes

lived together with an intimacy full of ease,

gaiety, and tenderness. In her convent life

the little Princess, with the selfishness natural

to children, had only thought of herself, and

was not accustomed to the daily sacrifices

made by brothers and sisters, which are

made easy and rewarded by a mother's ap-

proval and kiss. She had a serious appren-

ticeship to undergo. She preferred her

father-in-law and the Princess Clary, her

sister-in-law, to all the other members of her

family. The Princess Clary, the Prince's

eldest and favourite daughter, "his master-

piece," as he called her, was kindness, grace,

and affability itself. Married some four years,

gifted with sound judgment and perfect tact,

she would have been an affectionate and

charming guide to her young sister-in-law at

the outset of her married life ; but it was not

possible for her to assume this position, which

naturally devolved upon the Princess-mother,

30 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE v

who, jealous of her rights, would have ceded

her authority to no one.

The Princesse de Ligne played an im-

portant part, if not in the heart of her hus-

band, at least in his household. The Prince

willingly rendered justice to his wife's quali-

ties ; he was full of consideration for her,

and treated her always with amiable defer-

ence. "My wife," he said, "is an excellent

wife, full of delicacy, feeling, nobility, and

in no way selfish. She is often in a pet,

but her temper soon passes away, melting

in tears and leaving no trace, for my wife

has an excellent heart." It was not difficult

for the Prince to resign himself to his wife's

temper, for it affected him very slightly.

Such was not the case with her children;

it must, however, be admitted that she had

often good cause for her unevenness of temper.

Not only was her husband constantly and

openly faithless to her, but he also squan-

dered his fortune, and in spite of the large

revenues he possessed would often have

v PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 31

been involved in serious difficulties had it

not been for the watchful care of the Prin-

cess, who by her clever administration estab-

lished a proper balance between their income

and expenditure. However, in spite of the

Princess's rather uncertain temper, the un-

varying cheerfulness and good humour of the

Prince made it a delightful home, for he

possessed the rare quality of being as charm-

ing at home as in society.

Helene thoroughly enjoyed her new life,

and eagerly threw herself into the pursuit of

pleasures entirely new to a little schoolgirl. She

at once learnt to ride. Dressed in an elegant

riding-habit, made to display her delicate and

supple figure to perfection, and accompanied

by her husband, she would spring into the

saddle the first thing in the morning, as light

as a bird, and as pleased with her liberty;

then three or four times a day, with childlike

glee, she would array herself in new dresses

from Leonard or Mademoiselle Bertin ; and

we may be sure that they in no way resembled


the little black convent -frock. At all the

entertainments given in honour of her

wedding, she fascinated everybody by her

grace and liveliness ; she danced with such

spirit, acted so naturally and with so much

animation, sang with a voice so youthful and

fresh, that her husband, though not sharing

her worldly tastes, was happy in her pleasure,

and allowed her to give herself up to it without

restraint.

Immediately after her arrival Helene was

presented at the Court of the Netherlands.

The Ligne family possessed a magnificent

palace at Brussels, near the Cathedral of

Sainte Gudule, and often resided there during

the winter. At that time the Viceroy was

Prince Charles of Lorraine ; he had married

the Archduchess Marie-Anne, 1 sister of Marie-

Therese, and was now a widower.

1 This brave and clever prince was a most unfortunate general.

Beaten by the Prussians in 1 742, while commanding the Austrian

army in Bohemia, he was again defeated in Alsace in 1745. The

affability of his manners, his artistic and literary tastes, his kindness

of heart, endeared him to all, and his paternal rule is still


The Prince of Lorraine often came to

hunt at Bel CEil. " He could not help being

kind, even in his fits of temper, which were

rare. One day, for instance, while hunting, on

which occasion he gave himself the airs of

an old huntsman, enraged at a number of

people who disturbed the hunt by overrun-

ning the forest at Bel CEil, he called out

:

' Go to the devil !——if you please, gentle-

men,' he added, taking off his hat."

The liveliest, wittiest, and most fashionable

man at the Court of Brussels was certainly the

Prince de Ligne's father, and he enjoyed his

life there extremely. " It was," he says, "a

nice Court, gay and at the same time secure,

idle and agreeable, with plenty of drinking

and hunting." However, when the Duke

remembered in Belgium. His generosity was boundless, and the con

siderable income he received (six hundred thousand florins of Brabant)

did not suffice to cover his expenses. He ruined himself by his

prodigality, but science and art prospered under him, and schools

of paintings and colleges were established in every town. New

roads were made ; trade, then at a low ebb, received a fresh

impulse ; and a transport service was organised between the

Flemish ports and those of Germany and France.

VOL. II 2 1


held a levee, and invited ladies, nothing but

the most inoffensive gaiety was permitted, for

the Prince hated all license and bad taste.

Prince Charles's palace at Brussels was

an immense and ancient building. Brussels

reminded one somewhat of Paris, the town

offering every kind of resource. The cours

was the favourite promenade, and there the

grandest equipages were to be seen. The

coachbuilders of Brussels were famous, and

the Duke was anxious that the nobility

should possess the most elegant specimens of

their work. Helene made her first appear-

ance on the cours in a superb gilt coach

made by Simon ; all the panels were deli-

cately painted, in the most beautiful vernis

Martin? by clever Viennese artists.

In spite of his love for the Court of

Brussels and his passion for Bel GEil, the

Prince never stayed very long at either ; he

generally started off at a moment's notice.

1 A species of lacquer painting, at present revived in France.


" What a charming existence mine was, in

my dear and delightful Bel GEil. In twenty-

four hours' time I could be either in Paris

or in London, at the Hague, at Spa, etc.

Once I went to Paris to spend one hour

there, and another hour at Versailles, after

the Queen's last confinement : I saw her on

the fourth day" he carefully adds.

"On another occasion I took all my com-

pany there to the opera in a coach of my own."

It was natural that the Prince should like

Paris and Versailles, for he was the soul and

life of the little intimate circle around the

Queen ; his presence gave animation to

everything, and his invariable good humour

and sallies of wit always secured him a

smilinof welcome. He was to be seen

everywhere, arranging or disarranging the

gardens;

presiding at entertainments and

directing the illuminations : he took part

in the Queen's lansquenet, Mesdames'

cavagnole, Monsieur's whist, the Prince de

Conde's quinze, the King's game of billiards,


and the Prince de Conti's pharaon. 1 He

said everything that came into his head ; but

although he gave way to much exaggerated

merriment, from time to time, under cover of

a joke, he would make many serious truths

acceptable.

His great friends were the Polignacs, 2

whose intimate society consisted of the

Coignys, the Confians, the Comte de

Vaudreuil, and the Chevalier de l'lsle. He

always defended the Polignacs against the

numerous accusations which were brought

against them.

He writes :" There is no one more

virtuous and more disinterested than all

these Jules, but their company was some-

1 All different games of cards, in vogue at that time at the

French Court.

2 The Duchesse de Polignac, Gabrielle - Yolande - Martine de

I'olastron, an intimate friend of the Queen, was both amiable and

beautiful. Expressive blue eyes, a high forehead, a nose very

slightly turned up, a lovely mouth, with pretty little white teeth

which were beautifully symmetrical, formed a most agreeable

physiognomy. Her features bore the stamp of sweetness and

modesty. At the age of seventeen she married the Comte Jules

de Polignac,

v PRINCESSE DE LIGNE yj

times monotonous, so great was their fear of

giving rise to prating and gossip ; the Com-

tesse Diane was the only one whose con-

versation was at all lively."

The Prince was particularly intimate with

the Chevalier cle l'lsle,1 the least known

member of the little circle. The Chevalier

was an excellent officer, an encyclopedist, and

a poet, a correspondent of Voltaire 2 and also

of the Prince de Ligne, who held him in

great esteem. He was a master of song, and

reigned supreme in the art of letter-writing.

He had never composed a faulty verse, or

written a letter that was not both witty and

in excellent style ; however, in society he

was wanting both in good taste and breed-

ing, giving way to ill-temper and familiarity.

1 The Chevalier de l'lsle was a brigadier in the King's cavalry,

having been appointed on 25th July 1762. Very intimate with

the Choiseul family and Madame du Defiant, he is mentioned in the

latter's correspondence.

2 It was he who wrote a letter to the patriarch of Ferney about

a badly-executed commission commencing as follows : "You must,

sir, be very stupid," etc. This beginning threw Voltaire into an

ecstasy of delight.

428719


So as to make believe that he dined with the

Queen at the Polignacs on Sundays, he would

arrive the first after dinner, that those who

came after him should be deceived by this

manoeuvre. He wrote regularly to the

Prince about all that went on at Versailles

during his absence. The following is an

example of his letters :

—

1 6th January 17 So.

" What a turkey we have just eaten at the

Comtesse Diane's ! My goodness, what a

fine bird ! M. de Poix had sent it from the

poultry-yard. There were eight of us round

it : the lady of the house, Madame la

Comtesse Jules, Madame d'Henin, and

Madame de la Force ; M. le Comte d'Artois,

M. de Vaudreuil, the Chevalier de Crussol,

and myself.

"While we were eating the turkey, but

without reference to it, some one mentioned

you, my Prince. Stay, let me recall who it

was ? A lady no ; a man—yes, certainly


a man, for he said Chariot, and our ladies

are not given to such familiarities. It was

the man who was on Madame la Comtesse

Jules' left hand. Let me see ; I was next

to the poet ; here sat the Chevalier de

Crussol, and there M. de Vaudreuil, and

then Ah! now I've got it, it was M.

le Comte d'Artois;yes, I am sure of it now.

He said :' By the bye, who can tell me if

Chariot has arrived at Brussels ?'— 'I can,

your Highness, for I have received four lines

in his own handwriting, and am myself going

to write to him ; who has any message

to send?' All immediately answered in a

chorus :' I have, I have, I have.' In the

confusion I could distinguish these words :

' I embrace him, I love him ; tell him to

come, we expect him.' When the hubbub

had subsided the soft voice of Madame la

Comtesse Jules commenced more audibly :

' Tell him that if he had dated his last letter

more distinctly, I would not have failed to

answer it ; but that, although assisted by


several experts in the art of deciphering, it

was impossible for me even to suspect from

what place it had been written, and conse-

quently to what place I should direct my own.'

" Thereupon we conversed about you,

and then about Admiral Keppel, then

of the turkey, then of the capture of

our two frigates, then of the Spanish In-

quisition, then of a large gruyere cheese

which our ambassador in Switzerland has

just sent his children, then of the strange

conduct of the Spaniards towards us, and

at last of Mademoiselle Theodore, who,

upon my life, dances better than ever, and

who pleased us yesterday as much by her

talent as Mademoiselle Cecile by her youth-

ful charms. To-morrow the Queen will

receive for the first time ; till now she has

only seen those who have the '

petites en-

tries '; she is rather thinner, but otherwise

her health leaves nothing to be desired.

The King is still the good husband, the good

father, and the good man he has always


been ; it is impossible to be near him with-

out admiring him as the personification of

honesty, and without being sincerely attached

to his person. I assure you we are fortunate

in possessing such a royal couple : may God

preserve them on the throne where His good-

ness has placed them ! . . . We are all going

to-morrow to Paris to inaugurate the charm-

ing little house M. le Due de Coigny has

bought, and in which we shall have

What do you think we shall have ?

Our first grand entertainment— a regular

house-warming. We shall have farces, pro-

verbs, verses, songs, and pleasures of all

kinds ; it will be a beautiful ceremony.

" A propos of verses : you have not seen

those I wrote the other day for the Queen,

threatening to play her the trick she most

dreads—that is, to name her at the opera

ball. Here it is :

—

"Dans ce temple ou l'incognito

Regne avec la folie,

Vous n'etes grace au domino

Ni reine in jolie.

42 PRrNCESSE DE LIGNE v

Sous ce double deguisement

Riant d'etre ignoree,

Je vous nomme et publiquement

Vous serez adore'e. 1

" I implore you, Prince, my very dear

Prince, do not massacre my song in

honouring me by singing it yourself; leave

that care to my cousin, who will give it its

full value; love her for me, and tell her I

shall go to Brussels, on my head if necessary,

to see her; you must love me, both of you." 2

The Queen was an object of devo-

tion to the Prince de Ligne. " Who could

1 In this temple, where incognito

Reigns as well as folly,

You are, thanks to the domino,

Neither queen nor beauty.

Under this twofold disguise,

Laughingly unknown,

Should I name you, then at once

You will be publicly adored.

2 In order to elucidate this paragraph, we must explain that the

Prince sang dreadfully out of tune, and that the pretended cousin

was the lovely Angelique d'Hannetaire, daughter of the director of

the theatre at Brussels ; she sang beautifully, and was very in-

telligent ; the Prince was madly in love with her at that time.


see the unfortunate Marie Antoinette without

adoring her?" he writes thirty years later.1

" I only realised it the day she said to me :

' My mother is displeased at your remaining

so long at Versailles;go and spend some

days at your post ; from thence write letters

to Vienna, in order to show where you are,

then come back.' Such kindness, such delicacy

on her part, and still more the idea of having

to spend a fortnight without seeing her, drew

tears from my eyes ; but the charming heed-

lessness, which preserved her from all coquetry

prevented her .noticing my emotion.

" As I do not believe in a passion

which cannot be reciprocated, a fortnight

was sufficient to cure me of a sentiment I

now admit for the first time, and which, for

fear of ridicule, I never should have confessed

to any one else. . . . Have I ever seen in

her society anything that did not bear the

impress of grace, kindliness, and good taste ?

1 See Fragments of unedited Memoirs of the Prince de Ligne,

published in the Revue Nouvelle. Paris, 1 840.


She intuitively knew an intriguer miles off,

and hated every kind of deceit ; that is why

she preferred the society of the Polignacs and

their friends—that is to say, Valentine Ester-

hazi, Besenval, Vaudreuil, Segur, and myself."

If the Prince worshipped the Queen, on

the other hand he had little esteem for the

King. He writes : "The King—in whom I

hoped to find some good qualities, whom it

may be said I have protected, whose mind I

have endeavoured to elevate by interesting

discourses, instead of his hunting topics or

idiotic conversation—cares for nothing but

tomfoolery. His practical jokes are always

aimed at Conflans, Coigny, or the Polignacs'

friends. The Queen has managed to cure

him of this habit. It was at bedtime that

his Majesty liked to worry us. He possessed,

however, a certain tact in the midst of his

rough jokes. One day, when he was threaten-

ing us with his blue ribbon, which he tried to

throw at some one's head, the Due de Laval

withdrew. The King said :' Do not fear,


Monsieur; it has nothing to do with you.'

. . . Coigny, the eternal fault-finder, said to

me one day :' Would you like to know what

these three brothers are ? A fat locksmith,

the wit of a country public-house, and a

street fop.' The two last epithets applied to

Monsieur and the Comte d'Artois."

When the Prince returned to Bel CEil he

delighted his youthful daughter-in-law with

these tales ; for although she liked Flanders

fairly well when not there alone with her

mother-in-law, she could not help regretting

Paris, when her husband's duties recalled him

to the army, and her fickle father-in-law went

off on his incessant travels.

It will be remembered that the Dowaeer-

Princess had absolutely refused to consent to

a residence in Paris during the winter months.

She was right, for although the officers

generally returned to their respective capitals

during the bad season, the military profession

did not allow much leisure time, and Prince

Charles, being in the Austrian service, would


scarcely have been able to spend his leave in

Paris. The young Princess would therefore

have been left to the care of an aunt, who

had no authority over her, or to that of a

father-in-law, more absorbed in amusing him-

self than acting as mentor to his daughter-in-

law. This delicate and dangerous position

had naturally alarmed the Princesse de Ligne,

but Helene had not such foresight; the

pleasure she anticipated of appearing in the

brilliant society of which she had only just

caught a glimpse outweighed any feelings of

prudence, and she quite hoped to obtain her

husband's consent in the matter.

The first step consisted of her presenta-

tion at Court. Helene had gained an ally in

her aunt the Princess, who was quite ready

to conduct her pretty niece to Versailles ; but

the latter wished to make her appearance

there with all the honours of war—that is, with

those of the tabotiret} This could only be

1 To have the right of sitting down in the King or Queen's

presence.


obtained by virtue of certain rights. The

rank of grandee of Spain was a sufficient

title. The Prince de Ligne possessed this

rank, and Helene persuaded her husband to

ask the Prince to make it over to him. Such

a request was not a small affair. The young

Prince was rather embarrassed, the more so

that this request would entail another, that of

a grant of money. Magnificent costumes and

jewels, etc., had absorbed the largest part of

the young couple's income. However, in-

capable of refusing any wish of his wife's,

Prince Charles took heart, and decided upon

writing. He immediately received from his

father, who was then at Versailles, the most

charming reply :

—

Versailles, \oth September 17 So.

" Is it not, my dear Charles, a droll thing

to be married ? You will manage to get

on, for, after all, one is bound more or less

according to circumstances. It is only fools

who do not know how to turn the posi-

tion to account : meanwhile you have a very

PRJNCESSE DE LIGNE

pretty little wife, whom without false shame

you may love. Although from father to son

we have been called Lamoral, without knowing

whether he is a saint, I am neither moral,

moralist, nor moraliser enough to preach, and

I make fun of those who do not believe in

my morality, which consists in trying to

make all around me happy. I feel quite sure

that this is your case also ; without having a

whole array of principles, this is one of the

four or five I have adopted as a second

education : my first, as I told you, is, that

to be a liar or a coward would bring me with

sorrow to my grave. Certainly, my dear fellow,

you have well understood this short lesson.

" And now, let us come to business.

Take as much money as you require ; my

men of business must have it or obtain it;

that is one subject done with. . . . The

Queen said she will make my affair de Kceurs 1

1 An estate of the Prince de Ligne in France, and about which

he had a lawsuit ; the name of the estate is pronounced like cceurs

(hearts), hence the Prince's pun.

V PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 49

a success, and, when I told her that my

affai}res de cceur (love affairs) were successful,

she said / zvas a fool. Kceurs settled, that

makes two affairs done with. Your uncle, the

Bishop of Wilna, who fancies that you or I

may some day be King of Poland, wants us

to obtain the indige'nat ; we shall get it, that

is another affair terminated.

" Our aunt of the Tuileries wants your

wife to have the tabouret; she has a fancy for

going to Versailles, and for that purpose

wishes me to cede to you the grandezza. I

have already written to the King of Spain

and to the minister on the subject, and have

spoken of it to the ambassador. Fourth

affair concluded, leaving me the prospect of

taking cold, by being obliged to get down at

the gates of the Court, where only the coaches

of the grandees of Spain are allowed to enter,

as in the Luxembourg and elsewhere.

" Here are two sources of economy for

me !—the King's play and coucher, which

no longer cost me anything.

VOL. II 2 2

5o PRINCESSE BE EIGNE v

" What annoys me is to hear clever people

say foolish things; to hear war discussed by

idlers, who have never seen anything but

military exercises, and those badly done;

disinterestedness proclaimed by women who

manage to get pensions by dint of torment-

ing the ministers and the Queen, who is a

thousand times too kind ; to hear sensi-

bility professed by those who have had at

least twenty lovers. And then, the in-

triguers ! the obtrusive ! and the wicked

!

How often this makes my blood boil, but a

quarter of an hour later I forget it all.

" Shall I tell you a foolish saying of mine,

considered as such by all the royal family ?

You know that at the town theatre I am

under the King's box, amongst the public;

you will remember the mirror in La faiisse

Magie} At the close of the play it was

dreadfully cold, and the King complained of

it, as well as of the coldness of the acting. I

1 The false Magic, a comic opera by Gretry.

s


said :' It is because the denouement is a la

glace, .' 1 The two brothers 2 hooted me out

loud for this pun. This existence at Ver-

sailles is delightful ; it is like life in a

country-house. I embrace your wife and

your mother for having had wit enough to

make me a Charles like yourself.

" P.S.— By the bye, I had already

planned in my head a grove for my Charles,

a fountain that will bear the name of Helene,

and a bower for their children.

" I shall work at it as soon as I leave

Versailles, to go and tell you, tutti quanti,

that I love you with all my heart."

1 A pun on the word glace, which in French means either ice or

a looking-glass.

2 Monsieur and the Comte d'Artois.

VI

The two Princes journey to Berlin— Portrait of Frederick the

Great—Journey to Saint Petersburg—Portrait of the Empress

Catherine— Return journey through Poland—The Bishop's

residence at Werky—The Diet at Warsaw—The Indigenat—The return to Bel CEil.

The Prince had not spoken lightly when he

said to his son that they would go to Poland

for the indighiat} In the midst of all the

pleasures and amusements of Versailles he

suddenly departed. " Family interests," he

says, "obliged me to undertake a long journey.

My son Charles has married a pretty little

Pole, but her family has given us paper in

lieu of hard cash. Their claims were on the

Russian Court ; it was necessary to go and

present them. In June 1780 I started for

1 The indigenat, though differing from naturalisation, conferred

on those who obtained it all the privileges belonging to those in-

digenous to the soil.

vi PRIXCESSE DE LIGNE 53

Vienna, Prague, Dresden, Berlin, Saint

Petersburg, Warsaw, Cracow,—where I had

much to do,—Mogylani, 1 Leopol, and Brunn,

—where I was in love. I must not forget to

add that I started from Paris and the Rue de

Bourbon, from the house of the Duchesse de

Polignac, who had just been confined, 2 and

where I had dined with the Queen. I

promised to return at the same hour in six

months' time, and ordered my livery coach

and courier in consequence."

The sum of money the Prince de Ligne

claimed in the name of his daughter-in-

law was considerable. It amounted to four

hundred thousand roubles, which were well

worth the trouble of recovering. However,

we incline to the belief that these family

affairs were merely a cloak for political de-

signs ; the journey was probably intended to

carry on the preliminaries of a negotiation

1 An estate belonging to the Princesse Charles.

2 The Duchess had given birth to the Comte Armand-Jules de

Polignac on 14th May 1780.

54 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE vi

begun by Joseph II. and the Empress

Catherine in their interview at Mohileff.

The Prince started from Vienna, whither

he had gone to receive his final instructions.

His companions on the journey were his son

Charles, and his friend the Chevalier de

l'Isle.

" I made de l'Isle a colonel," he says, "by

simply saying when in Austria, Prussia,

Poland, and Russia that he was one, and

buying him a pair of epaulets. I was also

obliged to knight him," he adds, " in order

to distinguish him in foreign parts from

the Abbe of the same name." 1

The Princes started on their journey a

year after the war of the Bavarian succes-

sion had ended. " This war entailed on

the King of Prussia a large expenditure of

men, horses, and money ; it procured him

an appearance of honesty and disinterested-

1 The Abbe Delille, born at Aigueperse on 22cl June 1728,

died in Paris on 1st May 18 13. He was a member of the French

Academy, and as a poet enjoyed European celebrity. Though spelt

differently the name was pronounced in the same way.

vi PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 55

ness, and some political amenities, but it

brought him no military honour, and caused

him to entertain very bitter feelings towards

us. Without any apparent reason the King

forbade Austrian officers to enter his domin-

ions without a special permit signed by him.

The Austrian Court retaliated by making the

same rule with regard to Prussian officers.

This gave rise to mutual discomfort without

reason or profit. Being of a confiding nature,

I thought I could do without a permit, but

the desire to have a letter from the great

Frederick, rather than the fear of being badly

received, induced me to write to him."

Instead of one letter the Prince de Ligne

received three, all charming. For fear of

missing him the King had written from

Potsdam to Vienna, Dresden, and Berlin.

The travellers arrived at Potsdam on the

28th of June.

" Having to wait until twelve o'clock, at

which hour I was to be presented to the

King, together with my son Charles and M.


de l'lsle, I went to the parade ground, and

was soon surrounded and escorted by Austrian

deserters, especially those from my own regi-

ment, who tried to fawn upon me and ask myforgiveness for having left me. The hour for

the presentation arrived, and the King received

me in the most charming fashion. The military

stiffness of headquarters was exchanged for

a tender and benevolent welcome. He said

he did not know I had so old a son.

" 'He has even been married a year, Sire.'

" ' May I ask to whom ?'

" 'To a Pole—a Massalski.'

" 'What, a Massalski ? Do you know

what her grandmother did ?'

" 'No, Sire,' replied Charles.

" ' She fired off the cannon at the sieo-e of

Dantzic,—she fired, and made them fire, and

defended the place, when her party, who had

lost their heads, only thought of yielding.'

" 'Women are unaccountable creatures,'

said I, ' strong and weak by turns, cautious and

dissimulating, they are capable of anything.'

vi PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 57

" 'No doubt,' said M. de l'lsle, annoyed at

not having been spoken to, and he added,

with a familiarity which met with no success,

' See, for instance——

'

" The King interrupted him at the end of

half a second. In order to satisfy de l'lsle I

told the King that M. de Voltaire had died

in his arms ; so that the King asked him a

few questions. He answered rather too

lengthily, and went away. Charles and I

remained for dinner.

" Every day the King had long conversa-

tions with me, often of five hours at a time, and

completely fascinated me : fine arts, war, medi-

cine, literature and religion, philosophy, moral

philosophy, history and legislation, were all re-

viewed in turn. The great eras of Augustus

and Louis XIV. ; the refined society of the

Romans, the Greeks, and the Franks ; the

chivalry of Francis the First ; the frankness

and valour of Henry the Fourth ; the revival

of learning ; anecdotes of clever men of former

days, and their failings ; Voltaire's errors,

58 PRINCESSE BE LIGNE vi

Maupertuis's irritability, and I know not what

else. In fact, anything and everything.

The most varied and wittiest things were

said by the King in a soft, low, and agree-

able voice, with an inexpressibly graceful

movement of the lips. The charm of his

manner was, I think, the reason why one

did not notice that, like Homer's heroes, he

was rather a babbler, though certainly a sub-

lime one. His eyes, always too hard in his

portraits, although strained with work and

the fatigues of war, softened in their expres-

sion when listening to or relating some

noble deed or trait of sensibility. . . .

" One morning, as I arrived at the palace,

the King came forward and said :' I fear I

must be the bearer of bad news ; I have just

heard that Prince Charles of Lorraine is

dying.' He looked to see what effect the

news would have on me, and seeing the tears

fall from my eyes, he gradually and gently

changed the conversation. The next day,

the moment he saw me, the King came up,

vi PRINCESSE DE L1GNE 59

and said with an air of the deepest con-

cern :' Since you must hear of the death of

a man who loved you and honoured man-

kind, it is better that it should be through

some one who feels it as sincerely as

I do; poor Prince Charles is no more!'

He was deeply affected as he said these

words."

After a conversation during which the

King had spoken unceasingly for nearly an

hour, the Prince, finding the part of listener

rather monotonous, seized upon an allusion

to Virgil, and said :

—

" 'What a grand poet, Sire, but what a bad

gardener!

'

"'How true! Did I not try to plant,

sow, dig, and hoe, with the Georgics as

my guide ? " But, Sire," the gardener used

to say, not knowing who I was : "You are

a fool, and your book also ; it is not so

that one sets to work." Good heavens,

what a climate ! would you believe it, God

and the sun refuse me everything ! Look

60 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE vi

at my orange, olive, and lemon trees, they

are all dying of hunger.'

"'Laurels, I see, are the only trees that

will grow for your Majesty.'

"The King gave me a delighted look,

and to cap my insipid remark with a bit of

nonsense, I quickly added :' And then, Sire,

there are too many grenadiers 1in this country,

they swallow up everything.' The King

laughed, for it is only nonsense that makes

one laugh."

The Prince knew that the King- could

not bear M. de Ried, and that it was be-

cause the latter had mentioned the taking

of Berlin by Marshal Haddik that the King

had conceived such a dislike for him ; there-

fore, when Frederick asked him if he found

Berlin much altered, he took care not to re-

mind him that he was one of those who took

possession of it in 1760. " He was pleased

with my reticence, for he was an old wizard,

1 Grenadiers in French signifying both the soldier and the

pomegranate tree.

vi PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 61

who guessed everything, and whose tact was

the finest that ever existed."

The Prince asked him a bold question

when speaking about France.

" There is everything, Sire, in that country,

and it really deserves to be happy ; it is re-

ported that your Majesty had said that

if one wished to have a happy dream, one

ought"

"Yes," interrupted the King, "that is

true—one ought to be King of France."

After spending a delightful fortnight at

Potsdam, the Princes took leave of the

King of Prussia with regret, and continued

their journey, arriving at Saint Petersburg in

the month of August.

The Empress received the Prince de

Ligne with the greatest distinction ; she was

already acquainted with him through Voltaire's

letters and the accounts the Emperor Joseph

had given her at Mohileff. Catherine found

him worthy of all the praise she had heard of

him, and writes :

—

PRINCESSE DE EIGNE

"We have also the Prince de Ligne, who

is one of the most amusing and easy beings

to get on with I have ever seen. Though

an original and a deep thinker, he yet has all

the gaiety of a child. His company would

suit me very well."

On his part the Prince was charmed with

Catherine the Great, as he called her, and,

thanks to his account, we have a living por-

trait of the Czarina.

"It was easy to see that she had been

handsome rather than pretty ; the majesty of

her brow was softened by a pleasant look

and smile, but it showed all the force of her

character, and revealed her genius, justice,

judgment, courage, equanimity, gentleness,

calmness, and firmness.

"Her chin, though rather pointed, did not

exactly project ; nor was it a receding chin,

but one nobly proportioned. The oval of her

face was not good, and yet it was pleasing,

for the expression of her mouth was full of

frankness and mirth. She must have had a

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

fresh complexion and a fine bust, which,

however, she got at the cost of her figure;

she had been almost too slight, but one

becomes very stout in Russia. She was

clean, and if her hair had not been drawn so

far back, but allowed to surround her face, she

would have been better looking. One did not

notice she was small ; when she told me, in a

slow manner, that she had been very vivacious,

it seemed impossible to realise it. On enter-

ing a drawing-room she always made the

same three bows, like a man, in the Russian

style ; one to the right, one to the left, and

the other in the middle. Everything about

her was measured and methodical."

The Prince had already become very

intimate with Catherine at the end of a few

days.

'" What did you suppose I would be like ?'

she asked me.

"'I fancied your Majesty tall, stiff as a

poker, with eyes like stars, and a large hoop.

I thought also I should only have to


admire, and constant admiration is very-

fatiguing.'

"' Is it not true that you did not expect to

find me so stupid ?

'

"' In truth, I thought it would be necessary

to have all one's wits about one, that your

Majesty allowed yourself all license, and was a

perfect firework of wit ; but I infinitely prefer

your careless style of conversation, which be-

comes sublime when treating of noble passages

of history, or examples of sensibility or great-

ness.' And the Empress heartily laughed at

this clever mingling of frankness and flattery.

" It was this contrast of simplicity in what

she said with the great deeds she per-

formed that made her interestinsf. A trifle

amused her ; she was pleased at the smallest

joke, and cleverly turned it to account.

One day I told her that to silence the

reproaches of a lady who was displeased

with my scarcity of talk, and looking bored

in her house, I replied that I had just heard

of the death of an aunt who had brought me


up. When the Empress was bored on the

grand reception days, she would say to me :

1 My uncle is about to die.' Then I would

hear it murmured :' We are going to have a

mourning.' And all the Court would search

up the uncle in the almanac, and of course

not find him."

However great the fascination Catherine

exercised over the Prince, she did not make

him forget Marie-Therese, and towards the

end of his stay he wrote :" The Empress

Marie-Therese had certainly much greater

charm and fascination. Our Empress carried

one away : the impression made by the

Russian Empress was much weaker at first,

but gradually increased. However, they re-

sembled each other in this, that if the universe

had crumbled away they would have been

found impavidas ferient ruincz. No power

on earth would have made them yield ; their

great souls were proof against adversity

;

enthusiasm preceded the one and followed

the other."

VOL. II 23


It was, however, necessary for the Prince to

tear himself away from the delights of this

charming abode. But before their departure

the Empress, laughing, said to the Prince-

father: "As you told me that you would either

sell, gamble, or lose any diamonds I should

give you, here are only a hundred roubles'

worth round my portrait on this ring !" 1

To this present Catherine added jewels for

the Princesse de Ligne and her daughters;

Prince Charles received a rich casket for

Helene, and the Princes left for Poland,

having forgotten only one thing, viz. the

claim of four hundred thousand roubles, for

which they had undertaken their journey.

1 It is said that Catherine's friendship for the Prince de Ligne

became a warmer sentiment, and we are disposed to believe it

when we read the sour letters that Grimm wrote to the Empress

about the Prince, of whom he was jealous. It will be seen later en

that he excited Potemkin's jealousy as well. Be this as it may, the

Prince was very discreet on the subject, as also on that of the

political conversations he had with the Empress, for he relates

nothing about them, not even in reference to Poland. We can

hardly believe, however, that he did not touch upon the subject ; the

Princesse Charles was Polish, and Catherine might well suppose

that her father-in-law and husband took some interest in that un-

happy country.


" For," says the Prince gaily, " it seemed to

me a want of delicacy to take advantage of

the favour with which I was received to

obtain favours."

The Bishop of Wilna received the Prince

at his residence of Werky, a short distance

from Warsaw. "Werky," writes the Prince,

"was a fortunate child of nature,—a large

river, three smaller ones, and a chain of

mountains, separated two valleys. Four or

five waterfalls, three islands, manufactories,

castles, a windmill, a port, a ruin, two convents

of handsome appearance, natural undulations,

temples to Vulcan, to Bacchus, and one to

Unity, which is to be erected upon piles, and a

kind of bridge at the meeting of three pretty

rivulets, an obelisk, a fisherman's and a work-

man's hut, bridges, some ornate, others

rustic, complete the attractions of this mag-

nificent estate. I advise and direct every-

thing."

The Dietine (sub- Diet) of Wilna had

assembled to elect deputies for the Diet of


Warsaw. The Bishop gathered round his

table eighty-four Polish gentlemen, nearly all

wearing the national costume, and having

their heads shaved after the Polish fashion.

Before dinner each of them came up to salute

the Bishop by respectfully kissing the hem of

his robe. At the end of the repast healths

were drunk ; the Bishop proclaimed the name

of the person whose health was proposed ;

then he filled an antique cup, beautifully

chased, emptied it and turned it over, showing

that he had drained it to the bottom. He

then passed it to his right-hand neighbour,

and in this way it went round the table.

These toasts were always celebrated with

champagne or Tokay. After an interesting

sojourn at Werky and Wilna, the Princes,

accompanied by the Bishop, started for War-

saw. We have seen that in the negotiations

for the marriage of the Due d'Elbceuf with

Helene the Prince-Bishop and the Marquis

de Mirabeau had dreamt of the Polish throne

for the young Princess's future husband. This


idea had taken possession of the Bishop's

brain ; and the accounts that were given to him

of Saint Petersburg, and the peculiarly cordial

reception that the Princes had received,

confirmed him in it. Persuaded that the

Prince was far advanced in the Empress's

good graces, and convinced that the King

Stanislaus - Augustus was no longer in

favour, the Bishop, ever ready to throw

himself into a new adventure, took ad-

vantage of the opening of the Diet to pro-

pose the Marshal as candidate for the in-

digdnat.

" You will one day be King of Poland,"

said the enthusiastic Bishop ;

" what a change

will come over European affairs! what good

luck for the Lignes and Massalski!" The

Marshal laughed, but, although he ridiculed

these sayings, he allowed matters to proceed.

''I had a fancy," he says, "to please the

nation assembled for the Diet, and accord-

ingly presented myself."

Twenty-five candidates came forward to


obtain the indighiat ; twenty-four of them

were set aside, the Prince alone was retained ;

but it required a unanimous vote, and three

opponents came forward. " They were nearly

cut down, and the violence of one of the

nuncios, 1 who laid his hand on his sword,

uttering very threatening words, nearly broke

up the Diet, and my too zealous partisan had

a narrow escape of losing his head.

" I sought my opponents ; I succeeded

in overcoming their prejudices, and that so

thoroughly that they said, with a grace and

eloquence worthy of their country, that, in

favour of an acquisition they considered so

honourable, they would, each in turn, solicit

the vote of one of their friends. Against all

custom, I rushed into the nuncios' hall, and

embraced the mustachios of these three

orators. It electrified me, for I began an

oration myself— in Latin too! then I took

them by the hand, and my advances resulted

1 The Polish deputies were called nuncios.

vi PRINCESSE BE LIGNE 71

in a general sgoda} which rang three times

through the hall, nearly bringing it down, so

great were the universal acclamations."

After having obtained the good graces of

the Empress Catherine, laid out the Bishop

of Wilna's gardens, gained the indigdnat, and

become almost as popular at Warsaw as in

Brussels, the Prince de Ligne, faithful to his

word, arrived at Versailles to the very day,

six months after having left it.

1 The sgoda was the cry which announced the unanimity of the

vote.

VII

Life at Bel CEil—The Archduchess Christine, Governor of the

Netherlands—The Comte d'Artois at Bel CEil

—

Le Mariage de

Figaro— The Comtesse de Sabran and the Chevalier de

Boufflers.

Hellene awaited her husband's return with

the greatest impatience, for during his

absence and that of his father her life had

not been an easy one.

The Dowager- Princess generally took ad-

vantage of her husband's absence to reduce

the expenses of her household, and re-

establish, as much as possible, a condition

of things too often upset by the Prince,

who, like the amiable spendthrift that he

was, gaily threw millions out of the win-

dow. Helene would gladly have taken

her share in superintending the household;

for she had learnt at the Convent how

vii PR/NCESSE DE LIGNE 73

to keep house, and was naturally proud of

her acquirements. She gracefully proffered

her services to her mother-in-law, anxious to

display her domestic qualities, but the Prin-

cesse de Ligne was not disposed to share

her authority with any one, and coldly refused

her daughter-in-law's offer. Helene, rebuffed

and humiliated, did not complain, but it left

a feeling of rancour in her mind, and from

that moment the relations between mother

and daughter-in-law became more strained.

At last the Prince's six months' journey drew

to a close, and it was with twofold joy that

Helene hailed her husband's return, and the

end of the harsh tutelage under which she

had been living.

The Princes found their family at

Brussels, and in the spring went to Bel CEil,

where they spent the summer together, with

the exception of Prince Louis, who was

detained by his service in Paris, and could

seldom be with them. The life at Bel

CEil was extremely gay and animated ; the

74 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE vn

stream of visitors was incessant, and poured

in from all sides— Brussels, Paris, and

even Vienna. The officers of the de Liome

regiment came to stay in turns. Not only

did the Prince keep open house— that is to

say, that people could come and spend the

day there without any previous warning, but

there was also a certain number of apartments

kept in readiness for any unexpected guests

who might come for a longer visit. Amongthe intimates at Bel CEil were the most

charming women of the Court of Brussels.

Although the de Lignes provided ample

entertainment and amusement for their

guests, a due part of the day was devoted

to more serious occupations. The morn-

ings were given up to study. Music, litera-

ture, drawing, etc., were cultivated in turn.

" Christine pastes and unpastes, Helene sings

and is enchanting," wrote the Prince. As

for him, he was no sooner up than, book in

hand, he went to his island of Flora, or

worked in his library, or else inspected the

vii PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 75

gardens. He already possessed a private

printing-press in his house at Brussels; he

installed another at Bel CEil, which was a

source of great amusement. 1 Prince Charles

in particular busied himself with it, but he

confined himself to publishing the works of

others; his father, the Chevalier de l'lsle, and

the Abbe Payez, provided ample material for

the small presses of Bel CEil.

Prince Charles, who was an enthusiastic

admirer of pictures, had found time, in spite

of his studies and military duties, to make a

magnificent collection of original drawings,

both of ancient and modern masters. 2 Hewas a thorough connoisseur, and drew well

himself, he even undertook to engrave

some of the drawings in his collection, and

1 The volumes printed at Bel CEil are extremely rare and much

in demand. M. Adolphe Gaifte is in possession of one of the two

known copies of the Chevalier de ITsle's poems. From a memo-

randum left by the Princess, we believe that part of her childhood's

Memoirs was printed by her husband at Bel CEil.

2 A catalogue of them was made by Adam Bartsch in 1794 ; it

contained six thousand numbers.


sent for the celebrated Bartsch to give him

lessons at Bel GEil. Helene interested her-

self in her husband's occupations, and, while

he was engraving, put the drawings in order,

studied under his guidance the different styles

of each master, and became quite an en-

lightened amateur. These intellectual oc-

cupations took up the first half of the day,

after which the family and numerous visitors

assembled for dinner. After an hour's rest

they all went into the gardens, where they

wandered about, or indulged in reverie, or

gathered together according to taste. There

were a hundred different pastimes, and a

hundred different ways of enjoying one's self;

the Prince had anticipated every taste and

every wish. Sometimes they went long

excursions on horseback or in carriages to

the beautiful forest of Baudour, adjoining the

woods of Bel CEil, or they sailed on the

large lake which was connected with the

canals, rivers, and smaller lakes of the park.

The boats were decked out with streamers,

vii PRINCESSE DE LICNE j 7

and manned by small boatmen dressed in

the Prince's livery. " During the lovely

summer evenings," he writes, "our excur-

sions on the water, with music and a

bright moonlight, were most agreeable to

the ladies."

The Prince never forgot them in his

rustic arrangements ; well beaten-paths, so

that they might not wet their pretty feet,

bowers of roses, jasmine, orange trees, and

honeysuckle, led to the ladies' baths. They

found shaded benches and rustic cabins,

and also "their embroidery frames, their

knitting, their netting, and, above all, their

black writing-books. Sand or something

else was often wanting, but they con-

tained secrets unknown both to lovers and

husbands, and, used as desks by their

owners, served to write many a pretty little

lie."

At this period Brussels presented the most

brilliant and animated aspect. Prince Charles

of Lorraine had been succeeded by the Arch-


duchess Marie-Christine, formerly Regent of

Hungary, where she had enjoyed the privileges

of a queen. She held her court on a grand

scale, and did the honours of it with grace

and affability. The Archduchess was con-

sidered the handsomest of Marie-Therese's

four daughters. She danced so gracefully

and so lightly that, directly she began, every

one stopped to admire. Although pretending

to be annoyed, she was, on the contrary, far

from displeased at the admiration she pro-

voked. She had married the Archduke Albert

of Saxe-Teschen, 1 who was entirely under his

wife's influence, and, unlike Prince Charles of

Lorraine, never gained the hearts of the Flem-

ish. Nevertheless, the Archduke's gentle and

easy character made him beloved by all who

approached him. He was an intelligent

connoisseur in pictures, and formed two

1 Son of Augustus III., King of Poland ; and Field-Marshal in

the Austrian army. He was born on nth July 1738, and married,

on 8th April 1766, Marie - Christine -Josepha -Jeanne -Antoinette,

sister of the Emperor Joseph, born on 13th May 1742. She died

in 1798, and the Archduke Albert in 1S22.

vii PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 79

magnificent collections of paintings and

drawings.

The Archduchess and her husband took

pleasure in encouraging art and literature,

and Brussels soon became a lively literary

centre. All that appeared in France—novels,

poetry, travels, etc.—was eagerly read. Several

reviews were started. The Prince de Ligne

welcomed young Belgian authors, and helped

them in every way to the best of his

ability. Happy to avail themselves of the

lordly hospitality he so graciously offered,

they constantly came to submit to him their

essays. It is needless to say that they ex-

tolled the beauties of Bel CEil and Baudour

in verses wrhich were reproduced in the

gazettes of the day.

If Belgium had not become the scene of

political events, it is probable that the Prince

would have founded a school of literature and

good taste, for he occasionally evinced in his

writings talent of the highest order. Ideas

flowed in abundance from his fertile pen,

8o PRINCESSE DE LIGNE vn

and he seemed merely to jot them down on

the paper at haphazard. His style, which is

capricious, incorrect, and even obscure, is

always lively and descriptive ; each word

seems to fall naturally into its place under

his pen ; wit abounds, unexpected, satirical,

and sometimes most daring. He has the

greatest contempt for grammar ; but this very

negligence, this lordly indifference, gives to

his writings a most original style.

Moreover, he possessed all the re-

quisites of an excellent critic, but it must

be acknowledged that he was blindly in-

dulgent towards his own poetry. Unfortu-

nately gifted with deplorable facility, he never

missed an opportunity of rhyming. One even-

ing, when they had all gone for a long walk

in the woods, they wandered so far into the

forest that they completely lost their way,

and only found it, thanks to a star Helene

had noticed. On the following day her

father - in - law brought her a ballad, set to

a tune then in vogue, and perhaps among

vii PRINCESSE DE EIGNE Si

all those he has written, it may be con-

sidered as one of the best :

—

A HfL^NE.

Air: Sous la Verdure.

Un sombre voile

Nous derobait notre chemin;

Nous errions a la belle etoile,

Mais nous arrivons a la fin

Grace a l'etoile.

Est-ce l'etoile

Qui jadis guida vers un Dieu ?

Ou de Venus est-ce l'etoile ?

Je penche beaucoup en ce lieu

Pour cette etoile.

Aupres d'Helene

Conduit l'etoile du berger;

Trop heureux celui qu'elle amene

Tout juste a l'heure du berger

Aupres d'Helene. 1

And so the days passed quickly and

pleasantly, the only drawback in this happy

1 To H£lene.

A dark mist

Concealed our road ;

We wandered in the open air,

But at last we reach our goal,

Thanks to the star.

VOL. II 24


scene being the state of Helene's health,

which required an amount of care her youth

and love of pleasure made it difficult for her

to take. Two accidents had successively

destroyed a hope dearly cherished by her

husband, and even more by her father-in-

law, who was anxious that his beloved

Charles should have a son. The waters of

Spa, then very much the fashion, were re-

commended. Helene went there in the

month of May 1782, accompanied by the

Chevalier de l'lsle, and her convent friend,

Mademoiselle de Conflans, who was now

Marquise de Coigny, 1 and on intimate terms

Was it the star

That formerly led us heavenwards ?

Or was it of Venus the guiding star ?

I am disposed to believe

That it was this latter star.

'Tis to Helene

That this star led us,

Too happy he that by it brought,

Comes just at the happy moment

Near to Helene.

1 It was to this witty Marquise de Coigny that the Prince de

Ligne addressed the charming letters written from Tauris.

vii PRINCESSE BE EIGNE 83

with the de Lignes. Helene wrote to ap-

point a meeting- place. The Chevalier de

l'lsle, who had a ready pen and familiar

style, answered as follows :" Madame de

Coigny embraces Mouchette, 1 and exhorts

her to wait for her to go to Spa till the

fifteenth of next month." Helene waited for

her, and they started together with the

Chevalier ; he only remained a short time,

and on his return wrote to the Prince de

Ligne :" I did not write to you from Spa, my

dear Prince, because I hoped to see you

there, and then because I intended stopping

at Brussels, at Bel CEil even ; I had begged

the Princesse Charles, who talks much better

than I can write, to speak to you of me in

her spare moments. She has none ? So

much the better for both her and you, and

so much the worse for me. But I had my

turn at Spa ; twenty times I was on the

point of writing, if only to tell you how

1 Familiar nickname of the Princesse Charles.


charming your daughter-in-law was, and then

I reflected that you were not the man to

ignore it, and that when one has nothing

fresh to say, one had better hold one's

tongue."

Shortly after the Chevalier's departure the

Prince rejoined his daughter-in-law at Spa.

A watering-place at that time was very

much like what it is in our days, but the

Prince describes it in the most spirited

manner :" I arrive in a large hall, where

I find the maimed showing off their arms

and their legs ; ridiculous names, titles,

and faces ; clerical and worldly animals

jumping and running races ; hypochondriac

milords wandering sadly about ; females

from Paris entering with roars of laughter,

to make one believe they are amiable and

at their ease, and hoping thereby to become

so;young men of all countries, counter-

feiting the English, speaking with their

teeth closed, and dressed like grooms, their

hair cut short, black, and greasy, with a


pair of Jewish whiskers surrounding dirty

ears.

" French bishops with their nieces ; an ac-

coucheur, decorated with the order of Saint

Michael ; a dentist with that of the Spur;

dancing and singing masters in the uniform

of Russian majors ; Italians in that of Polish

colonels, leading about young bears of that

country ; Dutchmen scanning the papers

for the rate of exchange ; thirty so-called

Knights of Malta ; ribbons of all colours, to

the right and the left, at the buttonhole on

both sides, orders of all kinds, shapes, and

sizes.

" Old duchesses returning from their

walks armed with tall canes a la Vendome,

and three coatings of white and rouge;

marchionesses, cheating doubly at cards;

horrible and suspicious faces, surrounded by

piles of ducats, and swallowing up all those

that were timidly put on the large green

cloth ; two or three electors in hunting-

dress, striped with gold, armed with hunting-


knives ; a few princes incognito, who would

not produce a greater sensation under their

own names ; some old generals and officers

retired on account of wounds they never

received ; a few Russian princesses with their

doctors, and Palatines and Castilian ladies

with their young chaplains.

" Americans and burgomasters of the

neighbourhood ; convicts escaped from all

the different prisons in Europe;quacks of

every description ; adventurers of all kinds;

abbes of all countries. Twenty sick people

wildly dancing for their health ; forty lovers,

or pretended lovers, sweating and agitating

themselves, and sixty feminine waltzers of

more or less beauty and innocence, cleverness

and coquetry, modesty and voluptuousness.

All this combined is called a dancing break-

fast."

After leaving the establishment of the

mineral waters, the Prince takes us to La

Sauvetiere, an elegant meeting-place for

bathers: "The noise, the buzzing sound of


conversation, the uproar of the music, the

intoxicating rhythm of the waltz, the passing

and repassing of the idlers, the oaths and

sobs of the gamblers, both men and women,

the weariness of this maoqc-lantern made me

leave the hall. I sit down, and I see some

water drinkers religiously counting their

glasses and their steps, and congratulating

themselves, perhaps rather sadly, on the im-

provement of their digestion. Some ladies

join their group.

" ' Do you digest the waters, Madame ?'

" ' Yes, sir, since yesterday.'

" ' Does your Excellency begin to digest?'

she says to the minister of an ecclesiastical

court.

"' I have the honour to inform your

Excellency,' he answers, 'that I perspire from

eight o'clock in the evening till ten, and that

I sweat completely from ten till midnight. If

I had not so much business to transact for

his Grace, I should be entirely cured by the

treatment.'"


Helene returned to Spa in 1783, and

met there Madame de Sabran, born a

d'Andlau, 1 who became later the Marquise de

Boufflers. She was one of the most charming

women of her time, and pleased every one

who saw her by her appearance, her elegance,

and the kindliness of her nature. She was

accompanied by her little son, Elzear de

Sabran, who little thought of the part he was

destined to play in politics later on ; for the

present, he contented himself with learning

the part of Cherubin in the Mariage de

Figaro, the Princesse Charles studying

Suzanne, and Madame de Sabran the part of

the Countess, for after the return from Spa

the play was to be acted at Bel CEil.

Just at this time they received news of

the Comte d'Artois' arrival in Flanders, 2 and

1 Madame d'Andlau was daughter of the famous Helvetius and

Mademoiselle de Ligneville. She had educated her daughter,

Madame de Sabran, very well : Madame d'Andlau in no way-

shared her father's opinions.

2 We read in the Gazette des Pays Pas, dated Thursday, 17th

July 17S3 : "On Monday, H.R.H. the Comte d'Artois, ac-

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

the Princes de Ligne started off at once to

receive and accompany him on his progress

through Rocroi and Spa, bringing him back

with them to Bel CEil.

The Princesse Helene returned to Bel

CEil before the Princes, in order to prepare

for the Comte d'Artois' reception ; but he

had barely arrived when he fell seriously ill.

The Prince had prepared festivities which

cost him over fifty thousand francs ; he never

even spoke of them to the Count, who was not

in a condition to enjoy them. Only one thing

took place, a fairy-like illumination of the

park, which the Prince, however, did not see,

for he never left the Comte d'Artois' side,

and started with him for Versailles.

After the departure of the Comte d'Artois,

the Chevalier de Bouhiers and Madame de

Sabran came to Bel GEil. Hearing that the

companied by their Excellencies the Governors -General, saw all

that was remarkable in the vicinity. The next day the Prince,

with their Royal Highnesses, left for the Chateau de Mariinont,

from whence he was going to Bel CEil."

go PRINCESSE DE LIGNE vii

Chevalier was garrisoned at Valenciennes,

the Prince wrote and proposed his joining

him at Tournai, and from there returning

with him to Bel CEil. The Chevalier replied :

" I am very much tempted, my dear Chariot,

by all you suggest ; but on closely examin-

ing your marching orders, I believe that my

regiment is the very thing I should miss.

Tell me when you go to Tournai ; I intend

going there, and defying you at the head of

your army, and if I find it on two Lignes

(lines), I shall try to break through them.

" Dear Prince, I love you as if I saw you

every day of my life. After yourself there is

nothing that gives so much pleasure as the

impression that you leave. Send me your

marching orders, so that we may meet some-

where, and that, if possible, we may part

nowhere." l

1 The Prince de Ligne had a particular affection for Boufflers.

It would appear, however, that the Chevalier had a very uneven

temper, for Madame de Sabran, in one of the charming letters she

wrote him, gives us the following sketch :" It is not your manners,

which are those of a savage, your absent and moody appearance,

vii PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 91

The Chevalier arrived at Bel CEil in time

to take part in the representation of the

Mariage de Figaro, which was given with

great success in the pretty theatre at Bel

CEil. Helene took the part of Suzanne;

Madame de Sabran that of the Countess;

Elzear, Cherubin, and Boufflers, Figaro ; as

for the Prince -father, he had to content

himself with the modest part of Doublemain,

the notary's clerk ; we must confess that,

though he gave others 1 good advice, he acted

very badly himself. He was generally given

the part of the notary who draws up the

marriage -contract, or that of the lackey who

brings in a letter, and would invariably come

in at the wrong moment ; but on the other

hand, once on the stage he would not leave

it, but say in a supplicating whisper to the

your sharp and genuine wit, your large appetite, and your deep

sleep whenever one wishes to converse with you, which made melove you to distraction. It is I know not what : a certain sympathy

that makes me think and feel like you, for under that rough ex-

terior you conceal the spirit of an angel and the heart of a woman."1 See his Letters to Eugenie on Theatricals. Paris, 1 7 7 1

.


other actors :

l<I am not in your way, am

I?"

Helene acted with an archness and

vivacity which recalled the merry schoolgirl

of the Abbaye-aux-Bois, tempered by a little

experience ; the little Elzear was charming

as Cherubin, but the Chevalier carried off the

palm by the zest and spirit with which he

threw himself into his part. It was a curi-

ous sight, and a sign of the times, to hear

Figaro's soliloquy recited by a nobleman,

and applauded by the aristocratic audience

of Bel (Eil.

Prince Charles willingly lent himself to

his wife's amusements, though he took no

active part in them ; but his serious mind

required occupations of a different order. He

took a keen interest in all scientific dis-

coveries, and at that moment was much

taken up with the new process of aerostation

invented by Charles Pilatre de Rozier and

Montgolfier. He witnessed the first experi-

ments made in Paris, and among others the


ascension of a fire balloon, in the gardens of La

Muette, on the 21st of November 1783, made

by Pilatre de Rozier and D'Arlandes. The

aeronauts were in the greatest danger, their

balloon having caught fire ; they managed to

extinguish it, and made their descent at

Gentilly in safety. At that time a balloon

ascension was looked upon as a most daring

undertaking, and no one cared to accompany

the aeronauts. But Prince Charles, whose

courage and coolness were proof against

everything, determined to take part in the

third ascent, which took place at Lyons on

the 19th of January 1784. The seven

passengers were : the elder Montgolfier,

Pilatre de Rozier, Fontaine, Prince Charles,

and three other persons who at the last

moment wished to ascend. Although the

balloon was of enormous size, the number

of passengers was too great ; De Rozier had

foreseen this, and did not wish the two last

persons to enter the car. Montgolfier per-

suaded him, however, to let things be ; but


they were hardly off, and had only run about

five hundred fathoms, when the balloon

began imperceptibly to tear, and they were

obliged to make a hasty and perilous descent

at a distance of about a league from the town.

On their return to Lyons they were received

with acclamations by the whole population.

In April 1784 Prince Charles sent off from

the public square in front of the hotel des

Etats, at Mons, a magnificent balloon, con-

structed at his own expense. He had invited

the Duke and Duchess of Aremberg and a

great many distinguished personages of the

Courts of Brussels and Versailles, who, after

the ascent of the balloon, all returned to Bel

CEil.1

1 See the Gazette des Pays Bas, Monday, 5th April 1784, No.

xxviii.

VIII

Prince Charles purchases a hotel in Paris—Birth of Sidonie—Theinsurrection in Flanders—Winter in Vienna—Joseph II. and

his Court—First representation of Don Juan—Haydn and

Mozart—The Comtesse de Kinsky—Prince Charles's affection

for her—Helene's departure for Warsaw.

The Prince de Liome and his dauo-hter-in-

law were in entire sympathy. The young

Princess enjoyed living at Bel OEil when her

father - in - law was there, but she disliked

Brussels, their winter residence. We already

know, by her own confession, that Helene was

as "obstinate as the Pope's mule," and she

had not given up her purpose of settling

in Paris. Her husband disliked the idea

of the Paris life, so little in harmony with his

tastes ; he had never lived in France, and, a

stranger there, he feared comparison with the

supreme elegance, the light witty tone, which

96 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE vm

distinguished the brilliant gentlemen at the

Court of Versailles. But, as the saying goes,

"What woman wills, God wills;" Prince

Charles ended by giving way, and he bought

in September 1784 a fine mansion, situated

in the Rue de la Chaussee d'Antin. 1

It is needless to say with what delight

Helene went to live in Paris. She found most

of her old convent friends, and, presented

under the auspicies of her father-in-law, she

was welcomed and entertained on every side.

Received everywhere into the most brilliant

circles—at Chantilly, the Prince de Conde's; at

Petit Bourg, the Duchesse de Bourbon's ; at

the Temple, the Prince de Conti's— all wel-

comed the young Princess, who gave herself

up entirely to a vortex of pleasure and success.

Captivated by the charm and amiability of

the young men who surrounded her with their

attentions, Helene gave way to her natural

instinct of coquetry ; she distinguished no one

1 This hotel occupied the whole of the space between the Rue de

Provence and the Rue de la Victoire.

vin PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 97

in particular but tried to please all ; when

at home, she was occupied with her toilet

and saw very little of her husband, who but

rarely accompanied her into society, absorbed

as he was in his studies. The steady char-

acter of the Prince, his taste for study, and

the very German and romantic turn of his

mind, formed a marked contrast with the

light, bantering, superficial tone assumed by

the courtiers. Helene, with the giddiness of

youth, decided in her own mind that her

husband was tiresome, and had it not been

for fear of offending her father-in-law she

would not have spared him a little bantering.

Prince Charles's position in Paris as hus-

band of a pretty and fashionable woman was

rather a trying one. With a father whose

sparkling wit made him everywhere take

a leading part in society, he was thrown

into the shade, and reduced to a secondary

position, which, however, his modesty would

not have objected to had he not felt that

it lowered him in his wife's estimation.

VOL. II 25

PR.INCESSE DE LIGNE

When he married, it was without any feeling

of love for Helene, whom he had hardly-

seen, but he soon felt a tender and almost

paternal affection for her. He had allowed

her the greatest freedom at Bel GEil, at

the same time seeking to develop in her a

taste for serious occupations hitherto rather

checked by her intense love of pleasure. He

was beginning to succeed, but these three

winters in Paris almost annulled his efforts,

or at least greatly compromised their success.

Helene was too young to understand and

appreciate her husband's superior intelligence

and high character.

However, a long -desired event brought

the married pair nearer to each other for

a while. On the 8th of December 1786

Helene gave birth to a little girl, who received

the name of Sidonie. This was a great joy

to Prince Charles, and he easily obtained

Helene's consent to go to Bel CEil in the

early spring, instead of returning to Paris.

She consented the more willingly that her

vni PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 99

father-in-law had left Paris for the Russian

Court, whither he had been summoned by

an invitation from the Empress Catherine.

Before starting the Prince had had ample

time to construct the bower of roses he had

promised for Charles's children, and as early

as the month of March a handsome Brabant

nurse, carrying a pink and white baby, might

be seen in the gardens of Bel GEil. Every-

thing seemed to promise a happy summer,

and in spite of the somewhat unrestricted

authority exercised over the nurse and

baby by the Dowager- Princess, which was a

source of annoyance to the young mother,

harmony and peace prevailed at Bel CEil.

All of a sudden, in the middle of the

summer (1787), a serious insurrection broke

out in Flanders. It had been secretly

brewing for some time past. Joseph II. had

the mania of meddling in everything ; he

generally had the best intentions, but, cleverer

in theory than in practice, he often ne-

glected to ascertain whether a system useful

PRINCESSE BE LIGNE

in itself might not become dangerous if ap-

plied without any previous preparation. The

reforms he tried to introduce into Flanders

are a striking example of this sort of mistake.

The Flemish people, who had long been

under the dominion of Spain, were bigoted

in their religion, and as deeply attached to

their ancient political privileges as they were

to those of the Church. After the death of

Marie-Therese, Joseph II. began by abolish-

ing certain processions, pilgrimages, and a

number of confraternities. These customs

and institutions, which were certainly useless

and far too numerous, were closely interwoven

with the habits of the people, and their aboli-

tion was a source of great offence. The

clergy were not less offended at the decree

that suppressed the Bollandists, numerous

convents and abbeys, and all the diocesan

seminaries.

Finally the Emperor, still animated with

the most liberal intentions, thought that " it

was his charitable duty to extend towards


Protestants the effects of that civil tolerance

which, without inquiring into 'a man's belief,

considers only his capacity an citizen."' Pie

accordingly granted them a civil existence

—

a privilege which till then had been refused

to them.

The Bishops loudly protested against

these measures, and were severely re-

primanded. Not content with attacking the

privileges of the Church, Joseph II. upset the

judicial organisation of the country, and in a

way suppressed the nationality of the Nether-

lands, which were declared to be an Austrian

province, divided into nine circles, governed

by an intendant and Austrian commissioners,

solely dependent on the Viennese Court. This

was trampling underfoot the "Joyettse Entrde"

(Joyous Entry), that grand charta of the

privileges of Brabant and the other Flemish

States.1

1 Amongst others, the privileges of Hainault were most curious.

We find there the formula of the ancient oath which the Emperor

took at his inauguration as Comte de Hainault.

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

The irritation was at its height, for Joseph

had by' his various reforms succeeded in

'alienating every class of his subjects.

A barrister of Brussels, Van der Noot,

published an extremely violent manifesto,

demonstrating the illegality of the innovations

introduced by Joseph II. This libel was

approved of by the States,1 but the author, in

danger of being arrested by the Government,

fled to England. It was at the very moment

when the revolution was being- fomented that

the de Ligne family, alarmed at the agitation

going omin Belgium, hastened to join Prince

Charles at Vienna, whither he had been

summoned by Marshal Lascy. An army,

destined to fight the Turks in the ensuing

spring, was already being organised by the

Emperor's secret orders. The Princesses de

Ligne reached Vienna at the end of the

1 The States of Hainault took an active part in the rebellion, and

refused in October 1788 to vote the subsidies demanded by the

Emperor. They had been mortally offended when an Austrian

Commissioner superseded their former governor and grand bailiff,

the Prince of Aremberg.


summer. Helene had made a short stay-

there at the time of her marriage, and had

not retained an agreeable recollection of the

place. The Viennese manners and customs

differed too much from the French to suit

her taste. She would infinitely have pre-

ferred spending the winter in her hotel at

Paris ; but her husband's duties detaining him

in Vienna, she dared not make the request.

The Emperor of Germany's Court did not

display the brilliant aspect which might have

been expected from the most important

European power. 1 The simple architecture

of his palace conveyed no idea of a

sovereign's residence. A detachment of the

1 The House of Lorraine had greatly contributed to banish the

severe etiquette which till then prevailed at the Viennese Court.

Francis the First, father of Marie- Antoinette, invited to his table

the principal Crown officials, and allowed the most perfect freedom.

Marie-Therese admitted to her intimacy most of the ladies of her

Court ; she even during the summer paid frequent visits to several

of them. She might be seen, knitting and walking in the gardens,

or reading in an arbour, unattended by any of her ladies. Marie-

Antoinette had therefore from her infancy been accustomed to those

habits of ease and familiarity which she carried to France, and

which caused her to be so severely censured.

104 PRJNCESSE DE LIGNE vm

Viennese garrison mounted guard, and a few

trabans posted at the inner doors superin-

tended the management and good order of

the interior. Joseph I I.'s household was very

economically conducted. He had, however,

grand Crown officials, such as grand-master,

lord high chamberlain, grand -equerry, etc.

But they only fulfilled their duties on gala

days. In spite of the plainness and simplicity

of the Viennese Court, the personages who

composed it were of very high standing

;

there were many reigning princes, brothers

of kings or electors, in the service of the

Emperor, and a crowd of great nobles, such

as the Princes de Ligne, d'Aremberg, de

Lichtenstein, Esterhazi, Colorado, Palfy,1 and

others, who by their rank and future were

almost equal to their sovereign. When he

chose, the Emperor " knew how to impart

to this Court, which usually had the appear-

ance of a convent or a barrack, all the pomp

1 The Princesse Euphemie de Ligne married, nth September

1798, Jean-Baptiste Gabriel, the eldest son of the Comte de Palfy.

viii PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 105

and dignity worthy of the palace of Marie-

Therese.

Helene witnessed for the first time

the New Year's festivities at Vienna. On

that day most of the Hungarian magnates 1

came to Court in their elegant costumes,

decked out with their handsomest jewels ; the

Prince Esterhazi, among others, was mounted

on a richly caparisoned horse whose saddle-

cloth was studded with diamonds. The

Prince's costume was as rich as his horse's

trappings. " 1 could not look at him,"

Helene says; "he dazzled me." The Emperor

Joseph, so simple in private life, wore a full-

dress uniform embroidered with gold, and his

coat, his orders, and his hat glittered with

eighteen hundred thousand livres 2 worth of

1 The guard of Hungarian nobles only escorted the Emperor on

great state occasions. It was supported by the Hungarian States,

who took great pride in the beauty of the horses and splendour of

the uniforms.

The Polish guard, created after the first Polish division (1772),

was composed of young noblemen, and vied in brilliancy with the

Hungarian guard.

2 Seventy-two thousand pounds.

106 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE vm

diamonds ; the buttons, the fastenings, the

epaulets, the braid, and the button of his hat

were one mass of diamonds. On that day the

Court servants and those of the nobility wore a

livery of silk embroidered with gold and silver.

The Prince de Ligne has left an interesting

portrait of Joseph II., with whom he had

been on terms of the closest intimacy. Ayear before the commencement of the

Emperor's reign, Lord Malmesbury asked

the Prince de Ligne what he thought of him.

" As a man," replied the Prince, " he possesses

great merit and talent ; as Prince he will

always be tortured by ambitions which he will

be unable to satisfy ; his reign will be a sort

of perpetual and vain longing to sneeze."

The Emperor Joseph was fond of the

society of amiable and distinguished women,

but no love intrigue ever arose in his intimate

circle. The Princesse Kinsky, born a Hohen-

zollern, and her sister, the Princesse Clary, 1

were both conspicuous at Court. The first

1 Mother-in-law of the Princesse Christine de Ligne.

vni PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 107

was simple and affable, had much learning,

possessed a sound judgment, and was passion-

ately fond of reading and conversation. The

second, modest, gentle, and gracious, was a

better listener than her sister, and her pliant

disposition imparted great charm and ease to

her society. The Emperor had given the

Princesse Kinsky a very fine apartment in

his palace of the Haut Belvedere. 1It was

there that the choicest Viennese society, both

of men and women, would meet every Thurs-

day. As a great favour Helene was admitted

to this circle, and she has traced a few por-

traits of these ladies—amongst others, that of

the Princesse Charles de Lichtenstein, born

Princesse d'CEttingen, who was the darling of

the Belvedere society. She was exquisitely

beautiful, and wrote marvellously well. Her

letters, nearly all written in French, over-

flowed with wit ; she expressed herself with

elegance ; and her firm and reliable character,

1 A small palace built by Prince Eugene in one of the suburbs

of Vienna.

108 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE vm

her amiable and cultivated mind, so won the

heart of the Prince de Ligne that she be-

came his favourite sister-in-law.

The Comtesse Ernest de Kaunitz,1sister

of the Princesse Charles, was plain, but witty

and lively. She would often provoke a dis-

cussion, for she loved an argument, and

excelled in the vivacity and archness of her

repartee. The Princesse Francois de Lichten-

stein, born Steinberg, completed the little

circle. Second sister-in-law of the Prince de

Ligne, she pleased him less than the first ; she

had an exalted idea of her rank and name, and

of the consideration that was due to her.

Serious and dignified, but at the same time

kind and benevolent, she was constantly

occupied with charitable works, and it was

difficult to escape the lottery tickets, concerts,

and collections for the poor she imposed upon

every one.

1 Daughter-in-law of the famous Prince de Kaunitz, Chancellor

of the Empire under Marie-Therese. He had retained office under

Joseph, and was one of the most influential persons at Court.


The only stranger admitted into this

society was the Due de Braganza. The

Marshal de Lascy, the Prince de Kaunitz,

the Prince de Ligne, and several other gentle-

men of the Court frequently came, and the

Emperor Joseph never missed a Thursday at

the Belvedere.

In his youth Joseph II. did not give much

promise of amiability, but he changed entirely

when he became Emperor. His travels, his

campaigns, the society of distinguished women,

had formed his character and cured him of a

shyness engendered by the extreme severity

of his education.

The greatest freedom existed in the

Belvedere circle ; the Emperor laid aside his

rank and allowed the ladies to speak with a

frankness that sometimes exceeded the

bounds of respect.

" The things I have heard said to Joseph

by the ladies of his society are simply incon-

ceivable," writes the Prince de Ligne. " One

of them said, referring to the execution of a

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

robber who had been hanged by his orders

that day :' How could your Majesty condemn

him after your robbery of Poland ?'

"It was at the moment of the first divi-

sion of that country.

'"My mother, who enjoys all your con-

fidence, ladies,' he replied, ' and who goes to

Mass as often as you do, has long ago made

up her mind on that question. I am only her

first subject.'"

The Emperor was fond of receiving con-

fidences, and was safe and discreet, though he

was fond of meddling. His manners were

agreeable, he had some brilliancy of conversa-

tion, a great deal of natural wit, and was a

pleasant narrator. The following is an anec-

dote he was fond of repeating. When Marie-

Therese was so closely pursued by her enemies

that hardly a town was left to her in Germany,

not knowing where to go for her confinement,

she retired to Presburg and assembled the

States. She was young and handsome, with a

dazzling complexion, and appeared before the

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

Hungarian paladins clad in a long mourning

garment, which set off the radiancy of her

beauty; her son, two or three years of age, was

clasped in her arms. " I confide him to you,"

she said, presenting the child, who began to cry.

The Emperor, in telling this story, always

added that his mother, who knew the way to

produce an effect, gave him a sly pinch as she

presented him to the Hungarians ; touched by

the cries of the child, who seemed to implore

their compassion, "my bearded heroes drew

their swords, and swore on their Turkish

blades to defend both mother and son to the

last drop of their blood." 1

The little group that met at the Belve-

dere did not represent the only society in

Vienna ; many other houses threw open their

doors. The Princesse Lubomirska, 2 com-

1 Fragments of the Prince de Ligne's Unedited Memoirs,

published in the Revue Nonvelle, 1840, and by Albert Lacroix at

Brussels.

- The Princesse Lubomirska was a cousin of the King Stanislaus-

Augustus. He frequently mentions her in his correspondence with

Madame Geoffrin under the name of Aspasia. She was a

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

monly called the Princesse Marechale, held

some of the most brilliant receptions. Her

original and ready wit, and the piquancy of

her manner, imparted a certain liveliness to

the character of her " salon." She forebade

all talk of war or politics at her house. " Nopolitics," she said, " in the drawing-room,

where the men are more women than we

are.

A great many balls were given in Vienna,

and they were always very animated, for the

Viennese were passionately fond of dancing.

They waltzed so furiously and with such

rapidity that at first Helene, though a beau-

tiful dancer, was made quite giddy by the

pace. She, however, soon became accus-

tomed, like others, never to rest for a moment

as long as the waltz lasted.

The balls of the Princesse Lubomirska were

delightful ; they always began and ended with

Czartoryiska by birth, and alternately resided at Vienna, Warsaw,

and at her magnificent estate of Lancut. A large part of the

Princess's lands was situated in Austrian Galicia.


a polonaise, a kind of measured march, in-

terrupted at intervals by a graceful balanck or

swinging movement. " When the elderly

people wish to join in the dance they ask for

a polonaise," says the Prince de Ligne, "and

then the good people perform the figures,

and move round with a contented smile on

their faces, as they recollect the good old

times, and the way they used to smile. The

young people are entirely taken up with the

present, of which they do not care to lose a

moment." This dance displayed to advan-

tage the elegance and grace of the figure.

Helene excelled in it, and took a patriotic

pride in carrying off the palm.

The Princesse Charles was passionately

fond of music, and had a box at the Court

theatre. Don Juan had just been given with

great success at Prague, in honour of the

visit of the Duchess of Tuscany, the wife of

Leopold. Mozart had in person directed the

rehearsals. The Emperor Joseph, about to

leave for the army, pressed Mozart to return

VOL. II 26

ii4 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

to Vienna to get up the opera there at once.

The rehearsals were rapidly got through, and

the representation was given before a large

audience. Helene was present, and all the

Viennese nobility witnessed the performance.

Don Jnan was admirably sung, but the public,

with few exceptions, of which Helene was

one, remained cold throughout. The Em-

peror, who thought the music admirable, was

vexed at the indifference of the audience.

"It is a divine work," he said to Mozart,

whom he had summoned to his box, " but it is

not the sort of thing for my Viennese !

"

"We must give them time to appreciate

it," modestly replied the author. "It suited the

Prague people better ; but I composed it only

for myself and my friends.''

On leaving the theatre some of the

spectators went to the house of the Comtesse

de Thun, and they were warmly discussing

the new work when Haydn entered. Every

one was of a different opinion, and though ad-

mitting for the most part that the music bore

vm PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 115

the impress of genius, all declared that in

some parts it was obscure and incomprehen-

sible. Haydn was chosen as judge. " I am

not in a position to decide in such a learned

dispute," said he with malicious humility;

" all I know is that Mozart is the greatest

musician living."

The concerts at Vienna were numerous

and most magnificent. The Emperor had a

passion for instrumental music. Mozart and

Haydn's 1 symphonies were played with rare

perfection by an excellent orchestra, led by

Salieri.2

It was likewise in the spring of

1787 that the Seven Words were given for

the first time—an oratorio which is looked

upon as Haydn's masterpiece.

It is evident that Helene might have spent

1 Mozart was appointed to the Emperor's chapel in 1780.

Joseph II. was very fond of him, and although his salary was very

small, he always refused the advantageous offers made by other

sovereigns, among others the King of Prussia. Haydn was also

attached to the Emperor's chapel.

2 Salieri, chapel - master and music -director to the Emperor at

Vienna.

H6 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE vm

a most agreeable winter in Vienna, but she

did not like Viennese society. A Parisian

at heart, she felt there entirely out of her

element. Her husband, on the other hand,

who had known all the families about Court

from childhood, was infinitely more at home

in Vienna than in Paris. He was on the most

intimate terms with all the young married

women who were friends of his sisters. One

of them in particular treated him with the

affectionate familiarity of an old playfellow;

this was the Comtesse Kinsky, born a

Dietrichstein, and daughter-in-law to the

Princess presiding at the Belvedere. It

would have been difficult to meet with a

more fascinating woman, and her romantic

story added greatly to her charm. Comte

Kinsky's parents and her own had agreed on

a marriage between their children without

consulting them on the subject. The young

Count was garrisoned in a small Hungarian

town, and only arrived in time for the

marriage ceremony. Immediately afterwards

viii PRIXCESSE DE LIGNE 117

he conducted his young wife home, kissed

her hand, and said :" Madame, we have

obeyed our parents ; and I must confess it is

with regret that I leave you ; but my affec-

tions have long been engaged to a woman

without whom I cannot live, and to whom I

must now return." A post-chaise was at the

door of the church ; the Count drove off and

never returned. Comtesse Kinsky was there-

fore neither maid, wife, nor widow, and the

dangers of this peculiar position were en-

hanced by her extreme beauty, which it

would have been difficult to outrival. She

united to her external charms a cultivated

mind and an excellent heart. Helene often

met her at the Comtesse de Thun's, who was

an intimate friend of the de Lignes, and

whose house was their habitual rendezvous.

Comte Francois de Dietrichstein, 1 Madame

1 The Comte Francois -Joseph de Dietrichstein, born 28th

April 1767, was private counsellor and chamberlain to the Austrian

Emperor. He filled the post of Major -General in the Engineers

during the first wars against the French republic, and it was he who

n 1800 concluded with Moreau the armistice of Parsdorf.

i iS PRINCESSE DE LIGNE vm

de Kinsky's brother, was a great friend of

Prince Charles, with whom he had been

brought up. The peculiar position of the

Countess rendered this intimacy very hazard-

ous, and Prince Charles's tender affection for

her partook very much of the nature of love.

With a woman's quick instinct, Helene

divined between her husband and the beauti-

ful Countess a secret tie, the nature of which

she could not make out, the strictest propriety

being observed on both sides. We must admit

that, in spite of little Sidonie's birth, which

for a moment drew the pair more closely to-

gether, they were becoming very indifferent

towards each other. The Prince had not

forgotten the contemptuous manner with

which his wife had treated him in Paris, and

he was not sorry to show her that in Vienna

he played quite a different part. In short,

neither one nor the other had made a love

match. Social conventions and a similarity

of tastes had conduced to a certain decree of

friendship ; but would that suffice to guard

viii PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 119

either against any warmer sentiment that

might intervene ?

And so the winter passed. The revolu-

tion in Flanders had assumed alarming pro-

portions, and there could be no question of

returning to Bel CEil. Prince Charles, who

had rejoined his regiment, served under

General de Lascy's orders, and had left

Vienna for some time. No sooner had he

taken his departure than Helene wrote to

ask his permission to join her uncle at War-

saw, where the Diet was about to meet.

Some important business with the Prince-

Bishop served as a pretext for the journey.

The authorisation was easily granted, on con-

dition that she should leave little Sidonie

under the care of her grandmother ; and

Helene left Vienna in September 1788.

IX

The Prince de Ligne's departure for St. Petersburg—Journey through

Tauris— Interview at Kherson—War declared against the

Turks—Alliance between Austria and Russia—The Prince de

Ligne as Russian General—Potemkin and Romanzoff—The

taking of Sabacz—Prince Charles at the storming of Sabacz

—

Letters from the Emperor Joseph to the Prince-father—Letters

from the Prince de Ligne to his son—The Governor of

Kaminiecz—The Prince's return to Vienna—Siege of Belgrade.

In the autumn of the year 1786 the Prince

de Ligne received an invitation from the

Czarina, asking him to join her at St. Peters-

burg, and accompany her in a journey she

was about to undertake in the Crimea. This

invitation was secretly intended to prepare an

interview that was to take place at Kherson

between Catherine and Joseph 1 1. Turkey had

ceded the Crimea and Kouban to Russia in

January 1784. These acquisitions had only

aggravated Catherine's thirst for further con-

quest. She already betrayed her ambition

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

in the smallest details : one of her grandsons

had been named Alexander, and the other

Constantine ; the Crimea was now again

called Tauris ; but her ambitious designs did

not end there. The Empress received the

Prince de Ligne as if he had only left her

the day before, informed him of her plans,

and at the end of December sent him back

to Joseph with the itinerary of her journey

and the result of his secret mission.

Under the pretext of visiting her new do-

minions the Czarina undertook on the 15th of

January 1787 a journey through the southern

provinces of her empire. She was accom-

panied by her favourite, Count MomonorT, and

by the ambassadors of France, Austria, and

England, and by the Prince de Ligne, who

met her at Kief. " I occupied," he says, " the

position of a diplomatic jockey."

She was also accompanied by a consider-

able number of princes and Russian lords.

Her flotilla consisted of eighty-four ships,

manned by three thousand seamen.

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

The King, Stanislaus-Augustus, awaited

the Czarina at Kanew. She slowly descended

the Borysthenes in a galley as magnificent as

that of Cleopatra. The Prince de Ligne left

the flotilla in a small Zaporavian canoe to

announce Catherine's arrival to the King. Anhour later the great lords of the empire came

to fetch him in a gunboat brilliantly decorated.

Whilst stepping on board he said, with the

inexpressible charm of manner and pleasant

tone of voice so peculiar to him: "Gentle-

men, the King of Poland has requested me to

commend to you Comte Poniatowski." The

dinner was very gay, and while the King's

health was drunk, three salutes were fired by

the artillery of the whole fleet. Afterwards

the King gave a supper to all the nobles of

his retinue. The fleet had cast anchor before

the palace improvised for him ; no sooner

had night closed in than a general conflagra-

tion on the neighbouring shores of the Borys-

thenes simulated an eruption of Vesuvius,

lighting up the valleys, the mountains, and

ix PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 123

the river in a most glorious manner. The

glare of the fires lit up the fantastic dis-

play of the brilliant squadrons of Polish

cavalry. Stanislaus had spent three months

and three millions in order to see the Czarina

for three hours. She had loved him, but,

long ago, this love had been replaced by

others; and now she slowly and cruelly tore

from him the shreds of the kingdom she had

formerly bestowed. They separated with all

the appearance of friendliness, but during

their short meeting the King had had time

to perceive that there was no hope of reviving

the past.

This was the last interview that took place

between Catherine and Stanislaus. Eight

years later she dethroned him with her own

hands.

The Emperor Joseph met the Czarina at

Kherson, and they continued together on

their travels, which resembled those of a

fairy tale. " I still fancy I am dreaming,"

says the Prince de Ligne, "when I recall that

124 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE ix

journey, in an enormous coach large enough

for six people, quite a triumphal chariot in

fact, studded all over with precious stones,

and drawn by sixteen horses of the Tartar

race. How, as I sat between two persons, on

whose shoulders I would sink at times, over-

come by the heat, I would be startled by

such snatches of conversation as these :

—

" ' I have thirty millions of subjects, I am

told, counting only the males.'

"'And I, twenty-two,' replied the other,

' counting- all'

" They made imaginary conquests of towns

and provinces, as if that were nothing at all,

whilst I kept on saying :' Your Majesties will

reap nothing but worry and misery,' to which

the Emperor would reply, addressing him-

self to the Empress :' Madame, we treat him

too well ; he has no respect for us. Did you

know, Madame, that he had been in love with

one of my father's mistresses, and at the time

of my first successes in society he outwitted

me in the affections of a marchioness who

ix PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 125

was an object of adoration to both of us, and

as beautiful as an angel ?'

'

During the journey the Empress had made

a gift of the site of Iphigenia's rock to the

Prince de Ligne. All those who possessed

land in the Crimea, such as the Mourzas, took

the oath of fidelity to Catherine, and the

Prince de Ligne followed suit. The Emperor

came up to him, and taking hold of his order

of the Golden Fleece, said :" You are the

first one of this order who has sworn al-

legiance together with the long -bearded

lords."

" Sire," said de Ligne, with a malicious

air, "it is better both for your Majesty and

myself that I should take it with the Tartar

lords than with those of Flanders."

The Emperor had just heard of the

rebellion in that country, of which we shall

speak later on.

After their return from this fairy-like jour-

ney the war against the Turks was decided,

and the Austro- Russian alliance concluded.


Preparations for war were being quietly

carried on when, all at once, Turkey as-

sumed the offensive by arresting the Russian

ambassador, M. de BulgakofT, and confining

him in the Castle of the Sept Tours (Seven

Towers). On the 18th of August 1787

Catherine declared war.

The Empress thoroughly relied on the

alliance she had just concluded with Joseph

II.; nevertheless she inquired of the Prince

de Ligne :

—

" What do you think the Emperor will do ?"

" Have you any doubt, Madame ? He will

convey to you his good intentions, perhaps

even his best wishes ; and as neither will cost

him anything, I am sure his first letter will

be full of them."

The Prince was mistaken ; the Emperor

was ready to appear on the field with a

hundred thousand men, 1 and had just ap-

pointed the Prince General -Commander- in

-

1 On 9th February 1788 Austria, in fulfilment of her alliance

with Russia, declared war with Turkey.


chief (feldzeugmeister) of all the infantry.

Unfortunately the letter bringing this news

crossed one the Prince had written to the

Emperor asking his permission to serve as

a general in the Russian army, and at the

same time offering to keep His Majesty

well informed of the Russian plans of cam-

paign and military operations. The Emperor

granted this request.

The Prince began preparing for his de-

parture in October 1787. "I received," he

says, "from the Emperor a letter concern-

ing his ally that showed both his kindness

and genius ; I made a summary of it that

served as a plan of campaign, for none had

as yet been conceived at Saint Petersburg.

They had no idea by what end to begin."

Before starting to join Potemkin 1 the

1 Potemkin (Gregoire Alexandrowitch), Russian Field-Marshal,

and the most renowned favourite of Catherine II. He was born

in September 1736, in the suburbs of Smolensk, and died on 16th

October 1791

It is said that during the famous journey in Tauris he ordered

theatrical scenery to be constructed at intervals on the road along

which the Empress was expected to pass. This scenery re-


Prince wished to give a ball to the prettiest

women at Court, according to their request,

but was unable to do so, as the war operations

were already far advanced. " The army," he

was told, "may perhaps be already under

the walls of OczakofT; five thousand Turks

have been killed by SouvarofT at Kinburn.

The Turkish fleet is retiring ; start at once."

He left on the ist of November 1787.

" Good heavens !" he writes, "what weather !

what roads ! what a winter ! what head-

quarters ! By nature I am confiding, and

always believe I am loved. I thought the

Prince, judging by his own words, would

presented in the distance villages, towns, and cities, and he

organised troops of supernumerary actors, who simulated the rural

population peacefully pursuing their avocations. Although he was

invested with offices and dignities more profitable one than the

other, he helped himself to the State monies, and accepted bribes

from foreign powers. Joseph II. and Frederick the Great loaded

him with presents and pensions, and in consequence of their

rivalry with regard to the Russian alliance, the first created him

Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and the second offered to

assist him in obtaining for himself the Duchy of Courland. Hehad no talent as a general in command, but was fortunate in

having under him good officers, who were able to carry on the war

operations against the Turks.


be delighted to see me. I only observed six

months later the embarrassed manner, in which

he received me on the day of my arrival. I

threw myself into his arms and said :

—

" ' When shall we take Oczakoff ?'

"'Who knows!' he said; 'the garrison

numbers eighteen thousand men ; I have

not as many in the whole of my army. I

am short of everything, and the most un-

happy of mortals, unless God helps me.'

"'What!' I replied, 'the story of Kinburn,

the departure of the fleet, has all that been of

no use ? I have travelled day and night, for

they told me you had already begun the

siege!'

" ' Alas,' he answered, ' God grant that the

Tartars do not get here, and lay waste the

whole country with fire and sword. God has

saved me (I shall never forget it). He

allowed me to collect behind the banks of

the Bog what remained of the troops. It is

a miracle that I have retained till now as

much of the country as I have.'

vol. 11 27


" ' Where are the Tartars ?' said I.

"'Everywhere,' he replied, 'and among

them is a seraskier, 1 with a large number of

Turks, near Ackermann, twelve thousand

men in Bender, the Dniester is guarded, and

there are six thousand men in Choczim.'

'

There was not a word of truth in all

this. Five months were spent in a state of

inactivity which would have been inexplicable

had it not been intentional. The Prince de

Ligne was not long in perceiving that this

was the case, and punctually warned the

Emperor of Austria.

During the long days of far niente the

Prince amused himself by scribbling down

his thoughts on little squares of paper, which,

though he appeared to attach no importance

to them, he took care to preserve. They

were well worth keeping, to judge by the

following :

—

" Europe is in such a perfect mess at the

1 Seraskier, general-in-chief in the Turkish army.


present moment that I think it a good time

to reflect on the position of affairs. France

writes, but, unfortunately, the Empire reads.

The soldiers of the Bishop of Liege are

at open war with the bankers of Spa.

The Netherlands have risen against their

sovereign without knowing why. Soon, no

doubt, people will kill one another in the

hope of gaining more freedom and happiness.

Austria, exposed to dangers at home, timidly

threatens both friend and foe, and is unable

to distinguish one from the other. England,

who is never entirely of the same opinion,

has a majority in favour of Prussia, who has

already fired a few shots in Holland ! Proud

Spain, who formerly owned the invincible

fleet, gets anxious as soon as a single

English vessel leaves port. Italy fears the

lazzaroni and the free-thinkers. Denmark

watches Sweden, and Sweden watches

Russia. The Tartars, the Georgians, the

Imarets, the Abyssinians, the Circassians, kill

the Russians. The journey to the Crimea

132 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE ix

alarms and irritates the Sultan. The Egyptian

and Scutari bashaws are warring with the

Turks, who, from two other sides, at a

thousand leagues' distance, are at the same

time attacking the two most powerful and

important empires that exist. We are called

to arms, and I join the fray. Without ceasing

to be a spectator, I become an actor in the

play. In my opinion all that is taking place

around me is nothing more than a kick in

an anthill. Are we anything better our-

selves, poor mortals that we are ?"

During this time the corps under Mar-

shal Lascy 1 had opened the campaign ; the

Emperor commanded in person, and Prince

Charles, who had not accompanied his

father to Russia, served as major in the

engineers.

1 Joseph-Francois-Maurice, Comte de Lascy,born at St. Petersburg

on 2 1st October 1725, and educated at Vienna. He was colonel

when the Seven Years War broke out. The services he rendered

ensured him rapid promotion ; he distinguished himself during the

campaign of 1778, and in 1788, as field-marshal, conducted the war

against the Turks. He died at Vienna on 4th November 1S01.


The Prince soon distinguished himself at

the siege of Sabacz, where he superintended

the opening of the trenches, and directed the

batteries which attacked the fort.

On the day of the assault, by means of

a plank, he crossed the wide deep moats

which protected the approaches of the for-

tress ; he was the first to dash forward and

scale the wall, and once on the top of the

ramparts, in spite of the efforts of the Turks,

he held out his hand to the soldiers who had

followed him, helped them up, and was the

first to enter the town. The Emperor, who

witnessed this brilliant exploit, conferred on

the Prince the rank of Colonel, and deco-

rated him with the order of Marie-Therese,

without holding a chapter of the order—an

honour which was entirely without precedent.

It so happened that the garrison of Bel-

grade was carrying on such a heavy cannon-

ading during the ceremony that the Emperor

Joseph, addressing the Prince, said :" Even

the Turks are taking part in your initia-

134 PRINCESSE BE LIGNE ix

tion, and celebrating your valour and my

justice."

The Emperor himself announced to the

Prince de Ligne his son's brilliant conduct

:

the pride and emotion of the father can only

be described in his own words. He writes

to the Comte de Segur :

—

Zth May 1788.

"Ah! my friend, let me weep awhile; and

read the following

!

" ' The Emperor Joseph to the

Prince de Ligne.

" ' Kilenack, 25th April 1788.

" 'We have just taken Sabacz :

l our loss

was small. The feldzeugmeister, Rouvroy, 2

a brave man, as you know, received a slight

wound in the chest, which does not prevent

1 A fortified town in Servia, situated on the Save; 4000

inhabitants.

2 Theodore, Baron de Rouvroy, born at Luxembourg in 1727.

He entered the Austrian service in 1753, and in 1765 received the

cross of commander of the order of Marie-Therese. He died

31st September 1789. He was one of the most distinguished

artillery generals in the Austrian army.

ix PRINCESSE DE LTGNE 135

him from dressing himself or going out.

Prince Poniatowski was shot in the thigh,

and though the bone is not injured the wound

is somewhat serious. But I must, my dear

Prince, inform you of something else, which

will please you all the more that in it you

will recognise the spirit of your race ; it is

that your son Charles contributed for the

most part to the success of this enterprise,

by the infinite pains that he took in marking

out the trenches for the batteries, and he was

the first to scale the parapet and help up the

rest. So I have named him Lieutenant-

Colonel, and have conferred on him the

order of Marie -Therese. It is a real plea-

sure to me to send you this intelligence, as

I am aware of the satisfaction it will give

you, knowing, as I do, your patriotism and

your affection for your son.

" ' I leave to-morrow for Semlin.

" 'Joseph.'

" What modesty ! The Emperor does not

136 PRINCESSE BE LIGNE ix

mention himself, though he was in the midst

of the firing. And how graciously and

kindly expressed is the account he sends

me. On reading it over again I burst into

tears."

8t/i May {continuedfrom the above).

" The messenger saw the Emperor him-

self firing musket shots with hearty goodwill

into the suburbs of Sabacz ; and Marshal

de Lascy tear up some palings to point a

cannon, which should protect my Charles by

attacking a turret from which a continual

fire was being; directed against him. The

Marshal would, I believe, have done it for

any other, but it had the appearance of per-

sonal and almost paternal kindness.

" The Marshal being rather exhausted, the

Emperor fetched a barrel and made him sit

down, while he himself stood surrounded by

his generals, thus paying him a kind of

homage.

" Here is a letter from Charles himself:

—

"'We have taken Sabacz. I have the


cross. You may be sure, papa, that I

thought of you on going up the first to the

assault.—Your submissive and respectful son,

" ' Charles.'

" Could there be anything more touching !

Would I had been there to give him a hand

!

I can see that I have his esteem by the words,

/ thought ofyou, but I should have deserved

it still better. I feel too much affected to

write more. I embrace you, my dear Count."

But it is with his son that the Prince

gives himself up to all the intensity of his

feelings.

From Potemkin's Headquarters at

Elisabethgorod.

12th May 1788.

"What can I tell you, my dear Charles,

that you do not already know of my feelings

on receiving from His Majesty a letter so full

of kindness and graciousness? This letter

is worth more to you than any parchments

containing titles, diplomas, or patents—mere


food for rats. It contains such touching words

for us both that, though I am getting rather

old to cry, it is impossible for me to refrain

from doing so whenever I read over that

paragraph. All the Circassian generals and

officers, the Zaporogues, Tartars, Cabardians, 1

Germans, Russians, Cossacks, etc.,—all came

to me in crowds, to congratulate me with

a warmth I can never forget.

" The father and most tender friend of myCharles are assuredly deeply touched at the

honour you have won, and which surpasses

anything I have ever done in my life. But

the General de Ligne has suffered abominably.

" Imagine, my boy, what a delightful

moment for both of us had I been the first

to accept your aid in clambering up that para-

pet, where you arrived before any one else

!

"Good heavens, what a fool one is at a

distance ! I, who at Hiihnerwasser would

1 Inhabitants of Cabardia, a country situated on the northern

slopes of the Caucasus, and which, at that time, was not yet under

Russian dominion.

ix PRTNCESSE DE LIGNE 139

have calmly seen you shot through the arm

—

I am as nervous as any woman,—a condition

which is not far removed from that of

minister. 1 However, I have agreed with

some regiments of light horse to make a

good slashing charge. I have never done

anything of the kind, except at the head of

ten Uhlans against five or six drunken

Prussian hussars. You will admit that it

was not the most memorable action of this

century. I cannot shut myself up in those

squares, as in a box, where one opens a door

to come in or go out.

" One can always manage to command if

one chooses on the day of battle, so that I am

perfectly certain, though I have not an army,

that nothing will happen where I am but what

I choose ; I have already learnt all that is

necessary, and am beginning to understand

Russian. Do you think now, my Charles,

that I was right in always wishing you to be

1 The Prince was both General-in-Chief without an army corps

and Minister-plenipotentiary in partibus.

140 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE ix

an engineer ? You have now shown genius, 1

as I knew you would. But are you sure you

are not slightly wounded, though you do not

say so ?

" Do not let any of His Majesty's mes-

sengers come to me without sending me a

letter. A thousand messages to my comrade

Rouvroy, whose fate and wound I envy.

Poor Poniatowski !

2I tremble lest he should

follow in his father's footsteps. He has

already the same courage, the same military

intelligence, personal devotion to His Majesty,

generosity, etc., but I trust he will not have

the same fate. Embrace him for me."

The news of the taking of Sabacz had

1 A play upon words; "genius" and "engineer" in French

being expressed by the same word, genie.

- Prince Joseph Poniatowski was at that time lieutenant-colonel

and aide-de-camp to the Emperor of Austria. He entered the Polish

army as general in 1789. He had command of the army at Warsaw

in 1809. The Emperor Napoleon made him a Marshal of France.

At Sabacz the Turks took him for the Emperor Joseph, as he

wore the same uniform—a green coat with red facings, and a

brilliant decoration. He was killed by a shot while crossing the

Elster on 19th October 1813.


made a welcome break in the weary exist-

ence the Prince's father was leading; but Po-

temkin's apathy made him relapse into bad

humour and impatience. He tried in vain to

sting his pride by making constant allusions

to the storming of Sabacz, but he had rightly

guessed "that, either out of policy, ill-will,

or incapacity, the marshals were resolved,

even before the campaign was begun, on

doing nothing."

At last, wearied by this determined

inaction, he wrote to Prince Potemkin that

he should leave the next day for Marshal

Romanzoff's l camp in Ukrania.

"At last," writes the Prince, "I have left

those filthy entrenchments which, in virtue

1 Romanzoff (Pierre Alexandrowitch), born in 1725, was one of

the most celebrated Russian generals. He defeated Frederick the

Second at the battle of Kunersdorf. Appointed Commander-in-

Chief of the Russian army in 1770 during the war against the

Turks, he obtained several brilliant successes, and was namedfield-marshal. He was so dissatisfied at sharing the command with

Potemkin in 1787 that he did not continue the campaign, and

resigned his post. This motive may also explain his inaction. Hedied on 17th December 1796.


of a few projecting angles, are supposed to

represent a fort ; eight days more and I

should have died of it. Potemkin nearly

drove me mad. Sometimes on good terms,

sometimes on bad, at daggers drawn or prime

favourite, speaking or not speaking, but sit-

ting up sometimes till six in the morning to

induce him at least to say one word sensible

enough to report,— I could no longer endure

the whims of such a spoilt child."

Wearied to death by this horrible inaction,

the Prince went to see why Marshal Roman-

zoff was no better employed than Potemkin.

Romanzoff, as amiable as Potemkin was

the reverse, loaded the Prince with promises

and attentions, all equally, false. At the

end of a few days Ligne was fully convinced

that the two Commanders-in-Chief of the

Russian army were agreed on one point

—

"to play a trick on the Emperor Joseph,

and only begin the campaign in July, by

which time the whole of the Turkish forces

would have been directed against the


Austrians." The Prince de Ligne redoubled

his efforts to stir up Potemkin. He wrote to

the Austrian ambassador at St. Petersburg, and

to the Comte de Segur, urging them to inform

the Empress of the situation ; but though

himself in such favour at Court he never

once wrote to Catherine. She knew the

motive of his silence, and was irritated at it

;

but she would not complain, in case that, in a

fit of frankness, the Prince should say too

much. "If I had chosen," he says, "to write

only once in praise of Prince Potemkin and

his operations, 1I should have received

showers of presents in diamonds and serfs.

Catherine would have been very well pleased

1 The Prince de Ligne relates that Prince Potemkin had only

one idea— that of forming a regiment of Jews, to be called

Israelowsky. "We already had a squadron whom I delighted in;

for their long beards, which reached to their knees, on account of

their short stirrups, and the fear they were in on horseback, gave

them the appearance of monkeys. The anxiety they felt could be

read in their eyes, and the long pikes they carried in a most

comical manner made them look as if they were trying to mimic

the Cossacks. I do not know what cursed Pope (Russian priest)

persuaded our Marshal that a corps of Jews was contraiy to the

Holy Scriptures."


if I had deceived her ; it would have been

more convenient for her to believe that all

was going on well."

In spite of his anger against the Russian

Marshals the Prince de Ligne, who was a

connoisseur, sincerely admired the Muscovite

nation and soldiery.

" I see that the Russians," he writes to

the Comte de Segur, "learn the liberal arts

in the same way that le mcdecin malgre hit

(the doctor in spite of himself) took his

degree. They are foot-soldiers, sailors, sports-

men, priests, dragoons, musicians, engineers,

actors, cuirassiers, painters and surgeons.

I see the Russians sing and dance in the

trenches, though they are never relieved,

and remain in the midst of shot and shell,

of snow or mud, clever, clean, attentive,

respectful, obedient, trying to forestall their

orders by divining them in the eyes of their

officers."

The greatest pleasure the General de

Ligne had was to write and receive news of


absent friends. His letters are so wonderfully

graphic, the slightest detail is invested with

so much charm, that one is never tired of

reading them. Those he wrote to his son

Charles are a perfect diary of his life.

From Marshal Romanzoff's Headquarters

in Poland.

Wi June 1788.

"If you inquire, my dear Charles, how I

am, I shall reply : Always the same. I am

continually with the armies and the marshals,

trying to make them do something. But the

devil is with them, in spite of all their

Russian signs of the cross.

"The best thing I have done is to have

left that quiz, that maker of compliments, myadmirer, as he calls himself, for Kaminiecz.

Ah ! if I still had a heart, how terribly in

love I should be ! The governor's wife,1 that

1 The famous Sophie de Witt was a Greek slave, stolen from

the Island of Chio. She attracted the notice of the French

ambassador in a street of Constantinople, and he had her taken

care of and educated. On his way to St. Petersburg the ambassador

VOL. II 2 S


magnificent Greek, known and admired all

over the world, drove me in a berlin within

half a cannon's range of Choczim, from whence

a few shots were fired over our heads.

" I confess that I felt more inclined to find

out her weak point of attack than to

reconnoitre that of the fortress.

" I stay at her house ; but what an infernal

row goes on ! A rattle of chains all night

;

I thought there were ghosts. The fact is

that her husband, who is commandant of

Kaminiecz, has all his work done by con-

victs. What a contrast between their rascally

countenances and the beauty of her whom

stopped at Kaminiecz ; he had brought Sophie with him. General

de Witt, Governor of Bessarabia, entertained the ambassador, and

was so struck with the beauty of the Greek slave that he fell

desperately in love with her.

In order to deceive his guest, he arranged a hunting party, which

was to meet at a great distance from the fortress, and, excusing

himself on the ground of a sudden order, remained behind. Hardly

had the ambassador left than de Witt closed the gates, and

celebrated his marriage with Sophie. On returning in the evening,

the ambassador was much surprised to find the gates closed ; an

envoy was sent, who informed him of what had taken place ; he

thought it useless to contend against an accomplished fact, and

philosophically resigned himself to his ward's marriage.


they serve, under the sway of the rod ! Even

the cook is a convict ; it is economical, but

dreadful.

" I wish, my dear Charles, that Oczakoff

(I must return to Potemkin, for I am still more

incapable of moving this man) may procure

me something glorious in your style. I shall

be killed on your account, for you must have

a father worthy of you. You thought of me,

you say;you are sublime and touching. You

have worked for me ; I will work for you. I

send you a tender farewell from these five or

six hundred leagues distance."

The Prince found Potemkin and his army

just as he had left them, and he writes to his

son, who had recommended a Prussian officer

to him :

—

From the Camp in the Deserts of Tartary.

Before Oczakoff, ^oth July.

" I will place your Prussian officer. I

cannot make Prince Potemkin advance as far

as the Liman, but I can advance officers.

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

I have made generals, majors, etc. ; but you

have made your crop of laurels, and can

laugh at me.

"Always the same inaction, one -third

through fear, one through spite, and one

through ignorance. I would wish, at the end

of the war, to have one-quarter of your glory

in this campaign. Your letters are gay and

brave, like yourself ; they bear your image.

"A fearful storm obliges me to go to bed.

A cloud has burst over the camp, and inun-

dated the two pretty little houses I have

erected under my immense Turkish tent, so

that I do not know where to put my foot.

Oh, oh ! I am this moment informed that a

major has been killed by lightning in his

tent ; it falls nearly every day, catch it who

may.

" The other day the arms of an officer of

light cavalry had to be amputated on account

of the bite of a tarentula ; as for lizards, no

one is in a better position than I am to assert

that they are the friend of man ; for I live


with them, and can trust them better than my

friends in this country. Sometimes I hear

the wind rising, and have my tent opened,

but I shut it up again quickly ; for the wind

seems to blow off a furnace. Oh! we do enjoy

every sort of advantage here. Shall I give

you a specimen of Prince Repnin's good taste?

You know the habits of the service here, the

baseness of the inferiors, and the insolence

of the superiors. When Prince Potemkin

makes a sign or drops anything, twenty

generals prostrate themselves to earth. The

other day seven or eight of them tried to

help Prince Repnin off with his cloak : 'No,

gentlemen,' he said ; 'the Prince de Ligne will

kindly do it.' A good lesson! They have

more refinement of mind than of heart, and

they felt it.

" Nevertheless, I rather play the victim;

but Sarti 1is here with an excellent orchestra,

1 Sarti (Joseph), a celebrated Italian composer, born at Faenza

in 1730. In 1785 he was called to St. Petersburg by Catherine II.

Under the protection of Potemkin he was appointed in 1793

PRINCESSE DE EIGNE

and he has brought that music you know so

well, in which there are thirty C's, thirty D's,

etc. Sometimes we have no bread, only

biscuits and macaroons ; no apples or pears,

but pots of jam ; no butter, but ices ; no

water, but every kind of wine ; no wood for

the kitchen fire sometimes, but logs of aloe's

to burn for perfume. We have here Madame

Michel Potemkin, who is extremely beauti-

ful ; Madame Skawrowski, another niece

of the vizier or patriarch Potemkin (for he

arranges his religion also), very charming;

and Madame Samoiloff, another niece, still

more lovely. I played a proverb for her

in this desert, and she seemed to like it, for

she has since said :' Do play another riddle

for me.'

" I presented the other day to the Prince a

blockhead sent to me by a fool. One is

called Marolles, the other is M. de X,

Director of the Conservatorium at Catherinoslaff, with an annual

revenue of thirty-five thousand roubles ; he was allowed free lodging

and fifteen thousand roubles for travelling expenses. Admitted into

the ranks of the Russian nobility, he died at Berlin in 1802.

ix PRINCESSE BE LIGNE 151

who recommends him as head of the engineers,

and destined to take Oczakoff.

"' Good morning, General,' he said, on

entering, to the Prince, ' I will take that

place for you in a fortnight. Have you any

books here ? Do you know in Russia those

of a M. Vauban and a certain Coehorn P1

I

should like to look them over before be-

ginning.' You may fancy Potemkin's aston-

ishment. 'What a man!' he said to me,

' I do not know if he is an engineer, but I

know he is French. Ask him a few ques-

tions.' I did so, and he admitted he was an

engineer for roads and bridges.

" Baron de Stad, who is here, delights me.

He also is a thorough Frenchman ; annoying

the Prince, unpleasant to every one, writing

1 Coehorn (Menno, Baron de), celebrated engineer, contemporary

and rival of Vauban. He defended Namur against Vauban, and

for two days repulsed the attack on Fort Wilhelm, but at last

succumbed to superior numbers. He directed, under the Prince de

Nassau- Saarbruck's orders, the sieges of Venloo and Ruremonde,

which, owing to his skilful operations, were obliged to capitulate.

He had a great reputation in Germany. Born in 1641 in Friesland,

he died on 17th March 1704.

1 52 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE ix

charming verses, hating the petulance of

Roger, 1 with whom he is perpetually quarrel-

ling, and going gallantly into action, though

declaring all the time that he is dying of

fright. ' Behold,' says he, ' how nature suffers;

my horse himself trembles, and cares no more

for glory than I do.' We have seen another

personage, as ridiculous as his name, which

is Gigande, a lieutenant in the guards of the

Abbe de Porentruy. Yesterdayhe was robbed.

Furious, he exclaimed, with his Swiss accent:

' Che me lefe, eke uidgorge les pieds pour

alter tout te suite faire mes blaintes a tin

chhieral et il me tit : ' Si cest un soltat, che

1 Comte Roger de Damas (born in 1765, died in 1823). At the

age of fifteen he was already an officer in the French army ; his

bravery, his chivalrous character, his quick intellect, made him the

observed of all. " Francois First, the great Conde, and the

Marshal de Saxe, would have wished to have a son like him," says

the Prince de Ligne. " In the midst of the heaviest cannonade he

is giddy as a cockchafer, noisy, the most relentless singer, shouting

the finest opera airs, making the maddest quotations in the midst

of the firing, and yet judging perfectly all that goes on. War does

not intoxicate him, but he is full of a genial ardour, such as one

feels after a supper . . . amiable, beloved by all, what is called a

nice Frenchman, good-looking, an excellent fellow, and a well-bred

gentleman of the Court of France : such is Roger de Damas."


vous ferai ventre, mats, si cest tin officier,

cela sera tifficile.'x

" Another Frenchman, whose name is M.

Second, came to consult me about an affair of

honour. ' For I see, sir,' he said, ' that I shall

be forced to fight!' I assured him that if

he spoke in that way to everybody he would

have no need of a man of his own name ; that

was a good piece of nonsense, was it not ?

"Shall I tell you one of my innocent

amusements ? I place my dromedaries in

the way of the gilded staff, when by chance

'Marlborough sen va-t-enguerre (Marlborough

goes off to the wars). 2 The other day two or

three generals were thrown, half the escort

upset, and the other half sent flying.

" Ah, Charles, when shall we meet again,

at Stamboul or at Bel CEil ? If only the

Emperor and my Russian General would not

1 "I get up, I become footsore with running about to complain

to the general, and he says to me : • If it is a soldier, your things

will be returned ; but if it is an officer, it will be difficult.'" .

2 Popular French song.


stand on such ceremony about crossing the

Save and the Bog as they would do to go

through a door, we should soon upset the

Sublime Porte, and should meet where I said.

Then, my dear Cine'as, etc. etc. In the mean-

while let us love each other wherever we are."

On the Russian side the situation re-

mained the same till October, and during this

time things went as badly as possible for

Austria. This disastrous campaign cost her

thirty thousand men, killed in various engage-

ments, forty thousand carried off by the

plague, the invasion of the Banate, and seve-

ral defeats in Bosnia. Ill with fatigue, in

despair at his want of success, alarmed at

the complete rebellion in Flanders, Joseph

returned to Vienna almost broken-hearted.

He determined to call to his side the Prince

de Ligne, and to give him, with Marshal

Laudon, the command of his army during the

ensuing campaign. He sent Prince Charles

to carry the order to his father. We can

ix PRTNCESSE DE EIGNE 155

imagine how welcome was the arrival of the

conqueror of Sabacz, and with what trans-

ports of delight he was received. His father

immediately prepared to depart, and they

arrived in Vienna at the end of November.

Potemkin took Oczakoff a fortnight later.

It seemed as though he had waited Ligne's

departure before deciding on the attack, and

his jealous character justifies the supposition.

The winter was peacefully spent at Vienna, and

Prince Charles, absorbed in his new passion,

did not seem afflicted at his wife's absence.

In the spring of 1789 the two Princes

joined Marshal Laudon's army. General de

Ligne commanded the right wing, and played

an important part at the siege of Belgrade,

during which he displayed an indefatigable

energy. " I was all on fire myself," he writes,

"urged on by that being, 1 who is more like

a god than a man. Urged on by him, I

urged on the others. Bolza watched, and

1 Marshal Laudon.


danced attendance. Funk fired, Maillard 1

advanced. I thanked, begged, thundered,

threatened, commanded ; all was done, and

well done, in the twinkling of an eye."

Prince Charles, who was Colonel, was in

command, and energetically seconded his

father, who caught a violent fever during the

siege, and was confined to his bed for some

days, at which he was very furious. Hewrites to Marshal Lascy :

" The Turkish

Caiques have been venturing too near Krieg-

Insel (my headquarters). 'We must give

them a lesson,' I said to my son, who at times

engaged with my own, at others with Marshal

Laudon's column of attack ; Charles, with

his usual liveliness, immediately threw him-

self into a boat with my aides-de-camp, and,

followed by about forty other small boats,

went off to attack the Turkish Caiques.

" I directed the battle from my window,

in spite of a diabolical attack of fever, and

1 MM. Bolza, Funk, and Maillard were the Prince's three

aides-de-camp.

ix .PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 157

almost killed myself screaming to an Italian,

who commanded my frigate, the Marie-

Thdrese : ' Alia larga /' and words which

I dare not write. Out of patience I finally

went myself to end this very peculiar naval

engagement."

Belgrade was taken on the 8th of October

1789; Prince Charles had again the honour

of being first at the assault. Marshal Laudon,

who was not lavish of praise or flattery, wrote

to the Prince de Ligne the most compli-

mentary letter, in which he said :" More than

half the glory won by the taking of Belgrade

by right belongs to your Highness."

The Emperor sent the Prince the cross

of Commander of the Order of Marie-Therese,

accompanied by a dry and cold letter, whose

purpose de Ligne could not unravel ; but he

was still so ill with fever that both cross

and letter made but a slight impression. Hesolved the riddle later on : Joseph II. had un-

justly suspected him of having encouraged

the rebellion in Flanders.

X

The four years' Diet—The Court at Warsaw, and the Princesse

Charles—Festivities of the great Polish lords—Count Vincent

Potocki and his two wives—The Princesse Charles and Count

Potocki—Flight to Niemirow—Two divorce suits.

The Turkish war had seemingly caused a

happy diversion from Polish affairs, and for

the last two or three years that country

had enjoyed a most unusual state of peace.

Russia, entirely absorbed by her important

wars in Turkey and in Sweden, was appa-

rently oblivious of her existence. Austria, on

her side, took little heed, and was satisfied

with the large share that had been ceded

to her in the first dismemberment that had

taken place. But this lull could not continue.

Prussia was secretly making overtures to the

Poles, and trying to prevent Stanislaus from

x PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 159

sending his promised reinforcements to the

Russians.

The Polish nobility, always restless and

disunited, were anxious to take advantage of

Russia's difficulties, but could not agree on

the course likely to ensure success. The

majority, however, tempted by Prussia's secret

promises, were disposed to listen to her

advances, and conclude with her a defensive

alliance. A new constitution, more in har-

mony with the actual state of Poland, was

also a question of debate, and the public

mind, now thoroughly roused, anticipated

with increasing interest the meeting of the

Diet. 1

The King summoned it to meet on the

6th of October 1788. The arrival of all

the nuncios, accompanied by their numerous

retinues, part of which came from the most

1 This Diet was called the Grand or Constitutional Diet ; it

lasted four years, and decreed hereditary rights to the throne,

religious liberty, the maintenance of a permanent army, and a newdistribution of taxes, affecting also the nobility. See Ferrand's

History of the Dismemberment of Poland.

160 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE x

distant Palatinates, imparted to Warsaw an

unusually animated appearance ; and the

town offered at that time attractions of a

most unique character.

The great Polish lords, who habitually

lived on their estates, had retained manners

and customs that partook of an uncivilised

magnificence. They nearly all possessed

palaces in Warsaw, but only inhabited them

during the Diets—that is to say, for six weeks

every two years ; and these large residences

presented the most curious mixture of luxury

and penury. After passing through empty

halls, where the ceilings were falling to pieces,

and the hangings were all mouldy from the

damp, one came upon drawing-rooms with

ornamented frescoes, and with gold and

blue vaulted ceilings. The ante-rooms were

crowded with lacqueys in tattered liveries,

and with poor gentlemen who, attending as

servants upon the great lords, proudly wore

the ancient Polish costumes. Though they

did not give at Warsaw, as in the Pala-


tinates, gigantic feasts, during which the

toasts were accompanied by a salute of artil-

lery, yet they did not completely abandon

all the old customs, and the master of the

house would still occasionally honour the lady

of his thoughts by sending round her tiny

shoe, full of champagne or Tokay.

The tone of the best French society

reigned at the Polish Court with a mixture

of oriental peculiarities. European good

taste was combined with that of Asia, and the

polished manners of civilised countries did

not exclude the hospitality common to those

beyond the pale.

A revival took place in Polish literature

during the reign of Stanislaus-Augustus.

The King patronised learning, and encour-

aged to his utmost the reorganisation of

the universities. After the suppression of

the Jesuits the funds obtained by the sale of

their property were entirely applied to this

object. A regular committee was appointed

to superintend the national education. Thevol. ii 29

1 62 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE x

Bishop of Wilna was one of its most in-

fluential members ; he created at his own

expense a professorship of anatomy at the

university of Wilna, which was the first that

existed in Poland. 1

During the reign of Stanislaus-Augustus

the Court was celebrated for its pleasures, its

love intrigues, and its pretty women ; their

beauty had become proverbial. Among the

beauties of that time were the Princess Lu-

bomirska, whom we have already heard of

under the name of Princesse Marechale ;her

sister-in-law, the fascinating Princess Czar-

toryska, a Fleming by birth ; the Countess

Potocka, an Ossolinska by birth ; and the

Princess Charles of Courland. The two

1 The dismemberment of Poland did not arrest the intellectual

progress of the nation, which from that time devoted itself to the

preservation of the Polish language, and to the protection of the

monuments of the country. The influence exercised by Prince

Czartoryski in the Emperor Alexander's councils greatly assisted this

movement. He purchased the magnificent library of the King

Stanislaus-Augustus, which, added to his own, became the most

important depository of Slavonic history and literature. It was

confiscated by Russia in 1S31.


latter were really beautiful, and all four were

intelligent women. It was asserted that the

first one made the fortune of those she loved,

the second robbed them of it, and the two

others simply enjoyed themselves without

thinking of anything else. The Princess

Langorouska and the Countess Branicka, the

Princess Andre Poniatowska, sister-in-law

to the King, the Princess Lubomirska, a

Haddik by birth, also ranked high at Court,

where all the affairs of the State were the

mainspring of society. The King, who was

weak, indulgent, and always in love, was

governed by the favourite of the moment. 1

1 "It would be necessary," says the Prince de Ligne, "to pre-

vent the ladies at Court from harming the Government by intrigues

in love, in politics, and in society ; and also advisable to attract the

great lords by all sorts of amusements and distinctions. It would

then be possible to retain in the kingdom all the money which

the pettiest noble, as soon as he has cut his mustachios and

left off his long respectable coat, thinks necessary to carry off to

Paris, and spend with women, tailors, hotels, and hairdressers, and

in gambling and paying off the police, with whom he is always

getting into trouble." Unfortunately the King himself set the ex-

ample of thus abandoning the ancient Polish customs in favour of

the French.

164 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE x

The Prince, during his short stay at Warsaw,

soon perceived these weak points, and he

says: "The King is too honest a man with

women, as he is indeed with all his subjects;

he is genuinely in love, and inconstant with

the greatest possible sincerity ; and thus he

often throws himself into the arms of his

opponents, deserting and ruining his own

cause."

Such was the Court at which the Prin-

cess Charles was to shine. Her reputation

for intelligence, beauty, and coquetry having

already attracted the attention of all, her

Polish nationality, elegance, talents, and the

evident pleasure she showed on returning

to her native land, delighted her fellow-

countrymen.

Her empty palace, rapidly metamorphosed

by her own able hands, became one of the

most elegant in Warsaw, and she availed her-

self of the opportunity to display the remark-

able domestic qualities she possessed, and

which had been so little appreciated by her


mother-in-law. During the latter time of her

stay at Bel CEil her husband had forbidden

her to ride, on account of her delicate health;

she now amply made up for that privation.

The Prince- Bishop, who thoroughly spoilt

her, gave her the most beautiful horses, and

she might be seen every morning on horse-

back escorted by several young noblemen who

were perfect horsemen, as are all the Poles.

She built a theatre in her palace, and gratified

her love of acting to her heart's content.

Freed from the supervision that oppressed

her at Bel OEil, Helene abandoned herself

without constraint to the irresistible charms of

this life of pleasure. She forgot the past, her

husband, and her daughter even ; the Prin-

cesse Charles de Ligne no longer existed

—

Helene Massalska alone remained.

Winter was rapidly drawing to a close, and

the Princess still gave no thought to Vienna.

The de Ligne family, justly offended at her

prolonged absence, preserved a disdainful

silence.

1 66 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE x

The Prince-Bishop had returned to Wilna

during the vacation of the Diet, but his

niece, who wished to enjoy the summer sea-

son, just then beginning, remained alone at

Warsaw.

The King, his family, and the most import-

ant personages at Court, had elegant country-

houses in the suburbs, where they indulged

in the most sumptuous and original festivities.

The greatest luxury was displayed in these

entertainments, where each host endeavoured

to surpass his neighbour in planning surprises

and unforeseen effects. The first one at which

the Princess Charles appeared was given by

the Princess Andre Poniatowska. " The

heat on that day had been suffocating ; the

Prince led his visitors to a grotto formed by

an artificial rock, from which fell a cascade,

imparting by its very sound a cool and agree-

able sensation. Then they all went into the

grotto, where they rested for a few minutes on

the soft mossy banks, after which the Prince

proposed a walk in the park. They entered


a shady avenue leading to a door, which was

hidden in the foliage ; he touched a spring,

the door flew open, and disclosed a magnifi-

cent circular hall, splendidly illuminated, and

painted with frescoes representing allegorical

subjects ; it was surrounded by niches in the

walls containing Turkish divans, which were

covered with the richest brocades. The back

of these recesses was of a dead gold, contrast-

ing marvellously with the black hair and deli-

cate complexion of the Polish ladies who came

to rest in them. They had barely seated

themselves when strains of music were heard,

which seemed to descend mysteriously from

the skies. Suddenly the floor opened, and a

table, magnificently laid out, slowly ascended,

as if at the touch of a fairy's wand." The

King seated himself, and motioned the de-

sired guests to their places, Princesse Helene

being among the number.

Stanislaus was most agreeably disposed;

he was fond of conversation, and set every

one at ease. He liked to speak on art and

1 68 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE x

literature ; his mind, which was cultivated,

though without much depth, appeared at

these entertainments under its most favour-

able aspect. Paris and France were the

topics of conversation, and as they recalled

the delightful past, the King took pleasure in

questioning Helene about the people whom

he had known.

When supper was over they again went

into the park, and wandered about in the

beautiful moonlight, returning only to War-

saw when the night was far advanced.

Helene had become particularly intimate

with the Princess Czartoryska, so passionately

loved by Lauzun, and of whom he has left

a charming description.1 The Princess's resi-

dence was entirely different from any of the

others ; for Powinski was laid out in what

we now call the realistic style.

Each member of the family occupied a

cottage, the exact reproduction of a peasant's

1 See the Memoirs of Lauzun, whose authenticity, however, one

can by no means be certain of.

x PRINCESSE BE LIGNE 169

hut ; it was made with trunks of trees laid

one on the other, cemented together by

a mixture of earth and straw :" Madame

la Princesse inhabited a very large hut;

those of the children and servants were

smaller. This group of cottages looked like

a village in the midst of an immense park;

but, on entering one of them, one was struck

by the sumptuousness of the apartments

which greeted the eye. The finish and

elegance of the decorations were on a

scale of which one single detail will give

an idea. The bathroom of the Princess

was lined from top to bottom with tiles

of Dresden china, painted with the ut-

most delicacy, and each representing a small

picture : they numbered, it is said, three

thousand.

"After leaving these would-be cottages, and

crossing a part of the park, one came upon an

enormous Turkish tent, of a magnificent and

curious appearance. It had belonged to the

Vizier, and was taken during the war be-

i7o PRINCESSE DE LIGNE x

tween the Russians and the Turks. The

interior was ornamented with Oriental hanQf-

ings and trophies of Turkish arms, which were

exceedingly beautiful. On the ground were

rich carpets, and piles of gold-embroidered

cushions used as seats made the illusion

perfect. Behind the heavy curtains sounds

of Turkish music were heard, and servants

dressed in Eastern costumes served pipes

and, coffee on small low tables, inlaid with

mother-of-pearl." Every reception -day the

park, lakes, rivers, and bridges were illu-

minated, and supper was served the whole

evening in a large pavilion covered with

creepers, and open on all aides. A number

of small tables were laid out, and at each

one of the ladies presided. A ball was or-

ganised in the Princess's cottage, where they

danced most of the night.

After enjoying these gaieties for some

time, Helene joined her uncle at Werky.

With the exception of a few short holidays,

the Diet, contrary to the usual custom, sat


without interruption and without fresh elec-

tions till the year 1792. During these four

years, and notwithstanding the critical nature

of the political questions under discussion,

the Court of Stanislaus presented an un-

usually brilliant aspect, which, however, was

not destined to last.

While the Diet was sitting all the Crown

officials were obliged by their duties to reside

in Warsaw. Amongst those who attracted

the most notice was the Lord High Chamber-

lain, Count Vincent Potocki. He belonged

to one of the most illustrious families in Po-

land, and possessed immense landed estates

and palaces of regal magnificence. His

father, Stanislaus-Potocki, Palatine of Kiew,

was the nephew and godson of the King

Stanislaus-Leczinski, and therefore first cousin

of the late Queen of France.

Although at this time the Lord Chamber-

lain was nearly thirty-eight years of age, he

passed for one of the most fascinating men

at Court. Gifted with a keen and refined

172 PRINCESSE BE LIGNE x

intellect, very careful of his own interests, a

favourite with women, and always on the

best of terms with influential men, he knew

the art of being successful with every one.

His first wife was Ursule Zamoiska, 1

niece of King Stanislaus- Augustus ; they

had no children, and were divorced at the

end of a few years. Divorces were of such

frequent occurrence in Poland, and had be-

come such an established custom, that this

event made no difference in the Count's

position with the King. Shortly after her

divorce Princess Zamoiska married the

Count Mniseck, and Count Vincent himself

married in 1786 the Countess Micielska, by

whom he had two sons. It was just at the

time of the birth of his second son that the

Count was summoned by his duties to War-

1 The King's eldest sister, Louise Poniatowska, married Count

J. J. Michel Zamoiski, by whom she had one daughter, Ursule

Zamoiska. Madame Geoffrin wrote as follows to King Stanislaus

on 25th March 1776 :— " Society at Warsaw is more brilliant than

ever— at least I hear of a great 'many marriages. Your niece,

Mademoiselle Ursule Zamoiska, is marrying a Count Potocki,

brother-indaw of a Countess Potocka who is here."


saw. The Countess remained at Ukrania,

in a property near Niemirow, their habitual

residence, her health not yet permitting her

to travel.

The Lord Chamberlain, on arriving at

Warsaw, met the Princesse Helene at his

cousins, Mesdames Jean and Severin Po-

tocka ; he was presented to her, and soon

became one of the most faithful followers

of her little Court. Hitherto Helene, like

a real coquette, had noticed all her admirers

without seeming to distinguish any, but it

was soon apparent that she received Count

Vincent with marked favour. Her habits

changed entirely, she went much less into

society, and was only seen at the houses

which the Count himself habitually frequented.

He showed the greatest reserve in his in-

tercourse with the Princess. Either from

policy or prudence, he manifested no eager-

ness, and even affected to avoid meeting

her too often ; it was easy, however, for

an attentive observer to see that he was

174 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE x

flattered at the distinction with which he

was treated by a young, beautiful, and most

attractive woman.

Helene, who was in love for the first time in

her life, gave herself up completely to the feel-

ings which influenced her. Without admitting

it to herself, she felt keenly the Count's cold-

ness of manner towards her, and endeavoured

to find out its cause ; she thought he disap-

proved of her worldly pursuits, and she hoped

to please him by giving them up : the pleas-

ure parties, the brilliant cavalcades, were all

abandoned. She courted solitude, and in her

letters to her friends betrayed, unawares, her

secret thoughts : here is an answer from the

Princesse Henri Lubomirska, then living in

Paris, which shows that her passion was no

longer a secret :

—

Paris, i 5/// October 1789.

"At last, pussie, I have received a letter

from you, dated the 24th of September. It

is a thousand and a hundred thousand years


since I had heard from you, and I even felt

a little cross, I must confess. But, after

seeing in your letter such big phrases as

actual situation, settled for ever, etc., I have

cooled down, for, like Germain in La Feinte

par Amour, x 'What I am not told I know

nevertheless.' Really I am sorry that I

cannot see you in this new situation^ ivhich

makes solihtde so precious. You must be

very funny, not that I think the sentimental

style altogether unbecoming to you ; there

are privileged beings whom every phase

suits, and this can be said of you more than

of anybody ; but I cannot suppress a certain

curiosity,— forgive me for it, my pet. Your

happiness is my most ardent wish, and I am

more interested than ever in desiring it, since

the longer it lasts the longer you will remain

with us. Tell me what terms you are on

with Madame de Mniseck;

2I have good

1 La Feinte par Amour, The Counterfeit of Love, comedy in

three acts and verse by Dorat, played for the first time on 13th

July 1773.

2 Ursule Zamoiska, Count Fotocki's first wife.

176 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE x

reasons for asking, and you will understand

them ; but do not mention my question to

anybody, and when you see the Lord

Chamberlain, present him with my compli-

ments.

"Is it true that he is irrevocably settled

at Warsaw, and has given up Niemirow ?

" By the bye, why were you astonished that

in a letter dated from Paris I should have

sent you the Comte Auguste's 1 compliments?

It was not on the high-road, but here, where

he is deputy at the States-General, that I saw

him. I will not mention my health ; it is too

tiresome a subject. Neither will I write

about what goes on here, as political matters

do not interest you much ; and, moreover,

you see everything in the newspapers. So

good-bye, my puss ; write often;you know

that your letters are always a great pleasure

to me. Are you still fond of riding and

1 Comte Auguste de la Marck, second son of the Duchesse

d'Aremberg. A friend of Mirabeau, he played an interesting part

in the commencement of the Revolution.


going to the theatre ? I am afraid you have

given up all these amusements. Forgive my

surmises ; at a distance of five hundred

leagues one may sometimes make a mistake,

and see things in a wrong light ; but at least

believe that no distance can diminish the

tender interest I feel for you."

Evidently Helene's friend knew perfectly

all that was going on ; her question with

regard to the Comtesse de Mniseck proves it.

She wished to know on what footing the two

young women were with each other. Helene

had naturally become intimate with her.

Madame de Mniseck was only too glad that

the Count should be faithless to her successor.

We have already seen that Helene was

extremely worried by the Count's coldness

and reserve towards herself; she could not

refrain from mentioning it to Madame de

Mniseck, who, according to the singular

Polish habit, had remained on perfectly

courteous terms with her first husband. It

VOL. II 20

178 PRTNCESSE DE LIGNE x

is not necessary to add that the word love

was never mentioned between them ; they

only recognised an "affectionate regard," and

Helene implored her friend to discover the

cause of the Count's strange behaviour.

Madame de Mniseck graciously fulfilled this

strange commission, and reassured Helene so

completely that she wrote as follows to the

Count :

—

" Madame de Mniseck has just told me

that you have spoken of me in affectionate

terms to her, and that you reproach yourself

with having left me for three months in doubt

as to your sentiments.

" I am deeply touched at this;

your

affection is precious to me, and will always

be so, and, as I felt that I had not been in

fault, I was sure your good heart would

bring you back to me sooner or later."

It is evident that little by little the

intimacy between the Count and Helene

was increasing. Perhaps he was uncon-

sciously fascinated by the very great charm


of the young Princess ? Perhaps in the

Bishop of Wilna's immense fortune he hoped

to find a resource for freeing his lands from

their heavy mortgages ? It is difficult to tell,

for, in this circumstance, as in all those con-

nected with the Count, the motive of his

conduct remains an enigma.

Whatever the reason, he accepted the

delicate responsibility of managing Helene's

affairs, which had been in a state of great

confusion for some time. The Count had

an undoubted capacity for business—a rare

quality in a Polish noble ; they generally

know how to spend their fortune better

than how to manage it.

The advice which he gave the Princess

was a pretext for frequent interviews, which

always took place in the presence of a third

person, either a secretary or a young lady.1

One day, however, Helene received a note

1 The great Polish ladies were always accompanied by some

young girl or young married woman, who belonged to the lesser

and poorer nobility ; their position was that of a companion or

even head lady's-maid.

i So PRINCESSE DE EIGNE x

from the Count begging for a private inter-

view. Surprised and disturbed at the receipt

of these few lines, Helene, without reflecting

on their undoubted significance, replied that

she would grant his request, but only on

condition that he would remember she was

another man's wife.

The Count arrived at the appointed time,

and after a few minutes of the most trivial

conversation, Helene, agitated and trembling,

asked him, without reflecting on the purport

of her words, why he had demanded this

interview. He answered rather coldly that

she appeared to be aware of it already ; and

he then made her a regular declaration. The

young Princess, carried away by the violence

of her feelings, admitted that she loved him

as she had never loved any one before, but

that she was determined that this confession

should lead to no result so long as they had

not each recovered their liberty.

The Count calmly replied that he was

proud of the distinction conferred, that it was

x PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 1S1

sufficient for his happiness, and that his

reserve and respect would prove that he was

an honourable man. He then made a deep

obeisance and retired, leaving Helene in a

most agitated frame of mind.

She felt more humiliated than satisfied

with what had taken place ; for, in accordance

with a very natural sentiment, she had wished

to maintain a discreet behaviour, with the

intention of taking all the credit to herself;

she had prepared to combat an ardent lover,

and she had found herself face to face with

a man who was able not only to master his

feelings, but was even more reasonable than

she was.

Dissatisfied with herself, with him, and

with the rash admission she had just made,

she wrote and tore up three or four letters

after his departure ; at last she sent him the

following :

—

" I have tried three times to write to you,

without having been able to express the agita-

tion of my heart. How changed are my pro-


spects since yesterday ! I feel humiliated, de-

graded. ... I granted the very first request

you made, but I wished to place between us

a barrier which your delicacy of feeling would

respect. On reflection I perceive that my

surrender has only added to my imprudence.

I have shown you my weakness, whilst you

have shown me how honour should control

nature. I forgot myself whilst you re-

membered ; this is not the moment to

claim your esteem, time alone will restore it

to me.

" P.S.—My thoughts are so full of yester-

day's events that I have not been able to

close my eyes. Can it be possible that a

single day should thus influence my life ; I

feel that, henceforth, it is yours, and yours

alone!

"

Helene spoke truly, for this affection,

already so deeply rooted, was to last all her

life.

It appears that the Count replied in a way

that sufficed to dispel the anxiety of the

x PRINCESSE BE LIGNE 183

young Princess ; for he received the following

note from her, which we find carefully pre-

served amongst her other letters.1

"The few words you have written have

filled me with joy. I read and reread them

ten times whilst dressing, and I found the

pastime a sweet one. I shall see you this

evening at Madame Jean's."2

We do not possess any of the letters which

the Count wrote at that time ; but, judging

by Helene's answers, he must have been a

jealous and despotic man. She submitted to

his tyranny in a most extraordinary manner.

He insisted on her burning all the letters

she had received from her husband and her

friends, and made so severe a selection amono-

her numerous acquaintances at Warsaw, that

little by little he narrowed her sphere to a

small circle, in which he reigned supreme;

Helene accepted everything.

1 Helene's notes, many of which were insignificant, were

docketed and carefully kept by the Count.

- Madame Jean Potocka, the Count's niece.


" I wrote to you last night, and intended

sending off my note this morning," she writes,

" but when I awoke it was too late.

"What is it that worries you? Tell me

at once. If a complete sacrifice of all that

displeases you can secure your peace of mind,

say but one word, and it will cost me nothing.

I shall consider myself the gainer if, by giving

up everything, I am able to make you happy

and contented.

"If these ladies had not insisted on my

going with them, I would willingly have

stayed at home.

" With you alone I have enough to occupy

my heart and mind without requiring the

presence of others."

About this time, that is, towards the end

of 1790, the Comtesse Vincent, who had

completely recovered her health, left Ukrania,

and joined her husband at Warsaw. It was

impossible to prevent her return, and equally

impossible to conceal from her the growing

intimacy between the Lord Chamberlain and

x PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 185

the Princesse de Ligne, whose reputation of

coquetry and beauty had already reached her

ears.

The Comtesse Anna adored her husband,

and in spite of all his efforts to hide

the truth from her she soon discovered it,

and absolutely refused to admit the Princess

within her doors. " I shall never consent,"

she said to her husband, " to receive the woman

who has robbed me of your affection, whatever

may be the nature of your intimacy." The

Count, very much surprised at this unexpected

resistance on her part, vainly endeavoured to

dispel his wife's suspicion, but when Helene

called on the Countess she found the door

closed. Mortally wounded by this affront,

she gave way to all the violence of her

character ; she declared to the Count that

she insisted on his compelling his wife to

receive her, adding that she could never

rest under an insult that dishonoured her

in the eyes of the world. The Count, after

trying in vain to calm her, finally flew into a


passion, and after a terrible scene abruptly

left her. Utterly upset by the manner in

which the Count had left her on the pre-

vious day, Helene sent him the very next

morning these few lines, written in such a

state of agitation as to be almost illegible :

—

"I am writing to you without knowing how

to begin. What a scene ! I am still quite

unnerved by it;you have left me, abandoned

me, and nothing remains to alleviate mydespair. I am alone in the world. I have

neglected my friends, broken all ties, burnt

under your eyes all the proofs of the affection

which my husband once bestowed on me. I

have destroyed secrets, confidences, assurances

of tenderness from the friends ofmy childhood,

and yesterday you retracted the few words of

affection which have at times escaped your

lips. Who will console me in my affliction ?

I leave it to you to imagine what remains

after this. Good-bye, my dear Vincent ; in

any case, should I meet you again, you will

always be the eternal object of my affections,


and should nothing bring you back to me,

that of my eternal regrets. In any case you

alone will occupy all my thoughts, and pos-

sess till death all my affection.

"If you are determined never to see me

again, return my letters, and at the end of

this one write : Adieu. This sentence, to be

decreed by your hand, is the only favour I

solicit from you."

This note was returned to the Princess,

a few minutes later, by the messenger who

had taken it. The seal was unbroken, 1

but on it were traced two lines, in the

Comtesse Anna's own handwriting, with the

following words :" The Count left this

morning for Niemirow." This news filled

Helene with dismay ; she fancied the

Countess rejoicing at her grief, triumphing

in his departure, and preparing to join her

husband and her children. A mad idea shot

through her brain ; she rang at once, and

1 We have found this letter amongst the Count's papers. Helene

probably forwarded it before she determined to join him.

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

ordered a post-chaise to be brought round

immediately. Half an hour later the Princess

threw herself into the carriage, accompanied

by only one of her women, and after a journey

of astounding rapidity arrived at Niemirow

a few hours after the Count.

The latter had left Warsaw merely to

escape from a position that was no longer

bearable, and without any settled resolution.

The unexpected arrival of Helene completely

unnerved him ; her beauty, her tenderness,

her despair, the rashness of her conduct in

thus sacrificing her reputation, all combined

to move and perplex him, and the recollec-

tion of poor Comtesse Anna could not con-

tend against the fascination of the moment.

Helene carried the day, and when the emo-

tion of the first few moments was over they

agreed to ask for a divorce on both sides.

The Princess, dreading lest the Count

should change his mind, urged that their

plans should be carried out without delay,

and the very next day three letters were


despatched from Niemirow, the first ad-

dressed to the Comtesse Anna, the second to

the Prince de Ligne, and the third to the

Bishop of Wilna. The Count offered his

wife the custody of their two sons, besides a

large annuity, if she would consent to the

divorce. The Princess requested that her

daughter Sidonie should be sent back to her,

and that the Prince- Bishop and a trustee

appointed by her, and invested with her full

authority, should settle all questions of interest

with the de Ligne family. Then, in a letter

to her uncle, she informed him of her in-

tended divorce, asking him not to withdraw

his sympathy from her, and help her in the

settlement of her affairs.

The Comtesse Anna was in total ignorance

of what had taken place ; her husband's letter

told her the sad truth. The unhappy woman

could as yet hardly believe in the reality of

the blow which had fallen upon her. She

had scarcely been married four years, and

her unvarying gentleness and blameless char-

i 9o PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

acter ought to have secured to her the last-

ing affection of the husband she adored, and

whose fondest wish had been fulfilled by the

birth of two sons. She still hoped that this

intimacy would be but a passing fancy, and

refused to consent to a divorce.

Her answer was simple and touching :

—

" Have you forgotten," she said, "that we

married out of mutual sympathy, and not

only with the consent but by the wish of our

parents ? These ties were to last for ever

;

and God sanctioned and blessed them by

granting us children. You have sometimes

been weak, but I shall still persevere, being

fully persuaded that both my duty and my

happiness are involved. . . .

" I shall always remember that when Fran-

cis was born you were on your knees in the

adjoining room, praying to God for me and

for our child. You loved us then, and if you

searched your inmost heart, you would still

find these two sentiments there, for I believe

nothing could ever efface them.

x PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 191

"You see my heart and soul laid bare

before you ; read your own ; one word, only

one, and I will forget everything ; I await it

with the greatest impatience.

" Your very humble and very obedient

servant, Anna Potocka."

This letter and many others remained

without effect ; the Lord Chamberlain had

already made up his mind. Not only was

he completely under the charm of Helene's

fascination, but, as we said before, the pro-

spect of the immense fortune she would

possess singularly strengthened his deter-

mination.

XI

The rebellion in Flanders—Death of Joseph II.—Prince Charles

in the Russian service—The storming of Ismail—Return to

Vienna—Helene at Kowalowska—The Count's journey to

Paris—The Lignes refuse to grant a divorce—The Count's

illness.

While these romantic events were taking

place in Ukrania others of a more serious

nature were occurring in Flanders. Van der

Noot, uniting his efforts to those of Vonck

and Van der Mersch, had issued a mani-

festo exhorting the people of Brabant to

rebellion, and on the same day, the 24th of

October 1789, the little army of patriots

assembled at Hasselt had invaded the Bel-

gian territory.1 The Emperor, suddenly

1 Van der Noot, an active and zealous lawyer, but with more

ambition than capacity, together with the Grand Penitencier, Van

Eupen, headed the party who wished for the maintenance of the

xi PRINCESSE BE LIGNE 193

alarmed, tried to arrest the movement by

making useless concessions ; the violent irri-

tation he felt at the defection of Flanders

caused him to suspect every one belonging to

the country of taking part in the rebellion.

The Prince de Ligne himself, then at the

siege of Belgrade, did not escape his dis-

pleasure, and it was then that he wrote him

the harsh letter we have already mentioned.

But Joseph soon recognised the injustice of

his suspicions, and the Prince de Ligne was

recalled. The latter obeyed at once, and

wrote the following charming letter to the

Emperor :

—

Belgrade, November 1789.

" I am overjoyed at your Majesty's kind-

ness in permitting me to appear before you,

and to remain in Vienna until I start for

Moravia or Silesia at the head of the army

now returning from Syrmia. I am far more

ancient, aristocratic, and sacerdotal constitution, while another

lawyer, Vonck, a man of great ability, and General Van der Mersch,

led the popular faction.

VOL. II 31

i 94 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE xi

touched, Sire, by a grace than by a dis-

grace. The cares of the siege of Belgrade,

and the fever from which I suffered, that no

amount of quinine could subdue, prevented

my feeling the grief I should naturally have

had on reading the terrible phrase :' Prepare

yourself to receive marks of my displeasure,

for it is neither my pleasure nor my habit to

be disobeyed.' I had reason to congratulate

myself on my behaviour, Sire, during the Bava-

rian war eleven years ago, and you thanked

me for it. On this occasion, it is true, your

Majesty decided that my despatches should be

conveyed to you through an orderly ; but if I

made use of my aides-de-camp, it was solely

on account of the Comte de Choiseul's special

message from Constantinople, recommending

that his very important despatch to the Mar-

quis de Noailles should be conveyed as safely

and directly as possible. An orderly may fall

asleep, get drunk, or be murdered.

" I must crave your pardon, Sire, if I

showed no anxiety at your displeasure, but I

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 195

know your justice still better ; I supposed

that the ill-timed journey made by one of

my aides-de-camp to Flanders when the re-

bellion was at its height had perhaps led

your Majesty to suppose that I was con-

cerned in it, and that I had some under-

standing with the disaffected." 1

Whilst the Prince de Ligne was returning

to Vienna the insurgents seized Ghent and

Brussels, and on the 2d of December 1789

they proclaimed that Joseph II. had forfeited

the sovereignty of the Netherlands. Twomonths later the Emperor succumbed to a

chronic disease, aggravated by grief and

1 The Belgians had, nevertheless, made the most brilliant offers

to the Prince. Van der Noot implored him to come and place

himself at their head. " I thank you for the provinces you offer

me," he replied in his usual jesting manner, "but I never revolt in

winter." Moreover the Prince, who did not approve of revolutions,

was indignant at that of Flanders. " If I were there," he writes,

" I should speak first as a patriot, a word that is becoming odious to

me, then as a citizen, another word often misapplied ; and if I did

not succeed I should speak as an Austrian general, and forthwith

silence an archbishop, a bishop, a fat monk, a professor, a brewer,

and a lawyer."

196 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE xi

anxiety. 1 The Prince de Ligne wrote to the

Empress Catherine :" He is no more, Madame,

—he is no more, the Prince who honoured the

man, the man who still more honoured the

Prince. He said to me a few days before

his death, on my return from the Hungarian

army which I had led into Silesia :' I was

not fit to see you yesterday; your country has

killed me. . . . The capture of Ghent is

my agony, and the abandonment of Brussels

my death. What an outrage ' (he repeated

that word several times). ' I am dying of it

:

one would have to be of stone to survive it.

I thank you for all you have done for me.

Laudon has spoken very well of you ; I thank

you for your fidelity. Go into Flanders;

1 The Empress Catherine wrote to Grimm : "Joseph II. killed

himself with his endless audiences ; they are, to say the least, useless,

and waste a great deal of time. I used to tell him so. He was

acquainted with everything, except the disposition of the Flemish

people when the rebellion broke out. I witnessed his astonishment

when the first news arrived ; he came to consult me, and was dis-

posed to treat the affair as a trifling matter ; but I took the liberty

of advising him to pay it the most serious attention." Joseph II.

died on 20th February 1790.

xi PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 197

bring back the country to its allegiance. If

you cannot succeed, remain there ; do not

sacrifice your interests to me—you have

children. . .

On the Emperor's table were found

several letters, written on the eve of his

death. One of them, which was in French,

was addressed to the Princesses Francois

and Charles de Lichtenstein, and to the

Comtesses Clary, de Kinsky, and de Kaunitz.

To the Five Ladies who so kindly

RECEIVED ME INTO THEIR SOCIETY.

" The time has come for me to bid you an

eternal farewell, and express all the gratitude

I feel at the condescension and kindliness

you have shown me for so many years. The

memory of each day is dear to me, and the

thought of separation is the only one that

troubles me. Wholly trusting in the good-

ness of Providence, I submit myself entirely

to its decrees. Keep me in remembrance,

and do not forget me in your prayers. My

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

writing will show you the condition I

am in."

The Prince de Ligne was deeply affected

by this loss, of which he soon felt the pain-

ful results. Leopold II., who succeeded his

father, behaved with marked coldness towards

all those for whom Joseph had had any

affection. Moreover, the new sovereign's

policy had nothing in common with that of

his predecessor. On the 27th of July 1790

Austria signed at Reichenbach a Convention

with Prussia, by which she agreed to make

peace with Turkey, the conditions to be

based on the status quo that existed before

the war.

Prince Charles, foreseeing a period of

forced inaction, asked and obtained per-

mission to enter the Russian service. He

accordingly set off, leaving his father in

Vienna unfavourably looked upon at Court,

and grieved at being separated from him.

It was under Souvarof's orders in Bess-


arabia that Prince Charles fought his cam-

paign. He was selected to conduct part of

the operations at the famous siege of Ismail.1

Since the i9thSouvarof had been batter-

ing the walls of the town ; he directed in

person the assault by land, while another

attack was being made from the river.

Three times the Russians were driven back

under a terrific fire ; two columns remained

for three hours in the trenches exposed to a

perfect storm of grape shot. At last a fire

broke out in the town, and the Russians

were able to enter, the assault having lasted

ten hours. Prince Charles was amongst the

first to go up, and behind him followed, as

simple volunteers, the Due de Richelieu,

the Comte Roger de Damas, the Comte

de Langeron, etc. etc. Fifteen thousand

1 Ismailoff, a town of Russia in Europe (Bessarabia), situated on

the Danube. The storming of Ismail is one of the most celebrated

in history. The Russians, numbering 30,000, took possession of

the town on 22d November 1790, and pillaged it for three days.

The Russians, exasperated at the resistance they had met with,

massacred two-thirds of the inhabitants.

PRINCESSE DE EIGNE

Turks were massacred, and the town was

given up to pillage. Prince Charles received

a wound in the leg, which, however, did not

stop him.

General Ribas, who commanded the flotilla

in the Danube, wrote to the Prince de Ligne

as follows :

—

Ismail, i %th December.

" My Prince—In recalling myself to the

notice of your serene Highness, I venture to

congratulate you on the glory that Prince

Charles has won at the storming of Ismail.

The column he commanded, following the

example of its daring leader, was the first

to effect a landing. In spite of a severe

wound in his leg he was the first to leap

out of the boat, and he scaled the ramparts

of the town under a deadly fire. He took

possession of it, after setting fire to a Turk-

ish frigate that was doing us great damage,

and after establishing and directing the bat-

tery, which inflicted the greatest loss on the

enemy."

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

At the moment of Prince Charles's entry

into Ismail, and in the midst of the fire and

pillage and the fearful carnage, he saw a child

three or four years old standing alone under

the doorway of a fine-looking house, and utter-

ing the most heartrending cries ; his beauty

and the richness of his attire attracted the

attention of the Prince; he took up the child

in his arms ; it ceased crying, and looked at

him with eyes full of astonishment ; then, ter-

rified at the tumult and the horrible scenes

going on around them, he hid his face on

his deliverer's breast, clinging to his neck

with all the strength of his little arms.

Much moved, the Prince hastily carried

the child to a place of safety, and had it

questioned by some prisoners who had es-

caped the massacre. All he could say

was that he was called Norokos, and that

his mother and the women who took care of

him had been killed. The Prince chose

among the prisoners a Turkish man and

woman, gave the child into their keeping,

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

and commanded that he should receive every

possible care, as he had decided to adopt

him, and take him to Vienna on his return.

Immediately after the taking of Ismail the

Empress Catherine wrote to Prince Charles to

tell him herself of his promotion to the rank of

colonel, and to confer on him the cross of

commander of the order of Saint Georges.

The Prince de Ligne was at Vienna when

he received the news of the capture of

Ismail, and of the honours the Empress had

bestowed on his son. He had just been

slighted and treated with flagrant injustice by

Leopold II., but he forgot everything on

hearing of his Charles's success, and wrote

the same day to the Czarina :

—

" Madame—My heart, which bounds for-

ward so quickly that my pen is unable to keep

pace with it, can never sufficiently express my

gratitude for the favours bestowed by your

Imperial Majesty on my excellent and fortunate

Charles. I shall not publish the letter you

xi PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 203

have deigned to write to me, but shall con-

tent myself with never forgetting it. Not

until we have peace will your Majesty regain

your former wit, as during the last four years

you have been all soul and genius. Good

heavens, what abundant proof of it there is

in your letter to my good Charles ! I am

afraid it will have put him quite beside him-

self. ..."

But it is with his son that the Prince gives

himself up to the full vehemence of his

feelings.

Vienna, 2

5

th November 1790.

" So you end the war, as you began it, by

making me die of anxiety on behalf of the

most courageous of mortals, of joy at possess-

ing such a son, of emotion at your conduct,

and of regret at never having equalled your

merit in any quarter. 1 My dear Charles, in

spite of these four deaths, I am quite alive,

1 Prince Charles was extremely modest. His father wrote to

Madame de Coigny : " I do not underrate my courage, which may

204 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE xi

and the happiest of men, for I am going to

see you again. My God ! good Charles,

brave Charles, what anxiety you have given

me ! Mine is the high stake ! If they

had ndbozssdd 1you, as they sometimes do

(and for two or three nights especially the

thought deprived me of sleep), say, what

in the world would have become of me ?

Supposing I had survived, could I have

existed a minute without reproaching myself

for my strength and weakness in not opposing

your departure ? . .."

Almost immediately after the peace of Ismail

the Empress began secretly to negotiate a

treaty with the Turks. Preoccupied by events

in France, and especially in Poland, she was

anxious to be rid of a war which absorbed the

be brilliant enough, but it is not unalloyed ; there is a certain

amount of humbug about it ; I perform too much for the public.

How infinitely I prefer the courage of my dear, good Charles, who

never looks to see if he is being looked at."

1 A Turkish expression, indicating the act of beheading the dead

on the field of battle.


greatest part of her army. Prince Charles,

aware of what was going on, asked and

obtained his discharge. He announced his

return to Vienna to his father, and came back

escorted by a numerous retinue. He brought

with him the little Norokos and his at-

tendants, a Turkish band of twelve musicians,

and magnificent presents of arms and horses

that Marshal Souvarof and Prince Potemkin

had given him.

The Prince de Ligne to his Son.

" Good Lord ! dear Charles ! you are

coming back, but I cannot realise it. I

assure you that since you have had the good

fortune to escape from such dangers, you

must be physically immortal as well as mor-

ally. I do not know how I shall manage to

kiss you, how I shall place myself, where

your large nose will go, how I shall manage

my own ; I fully intend also kissing your

wounded knee, perhaps going down on my


own knees for the purpose, before you as

well as before heaven."

P.S. To THE BRAVEST AND PRETTIEST

FELLOW AMONG THE VOLUNTEERS. 1

" As for you, my dear Duke, I shall not

seek to express the feelings I entertain

on your behalf. It is impossible to be a

more worthy grandson of the Marechal de

Richelieu, never has any one had a more

valiant and charming comrade. Both you

and Charles have equally contributed to each

other's glory.

1 The Comte de Chinon, Armand-Emmanuel-Sophie-Septimanie

Duplessis, Due de Richelieu, grandson of the Marshal, born the

25th September 1766, died the 16th May 1822. At the age of

fourteen he married Mademoiselle de Rochechouart, but had no

children by her. The Duke emigrated in 1790, went to Vienna,

where he was received with distinction, and from thence to Saint

Petersburg, where he was equally well received. " He possessed,"

says the Prince de Ligne, " rare beauty, and a character of extreme

gentleness. Though he did not inherit his grandfather's superior

talents, he had nevertheless a sound judgment, many natural virtues,

and an ardent love of justice ; he was less dissipated than his

youthful companions, although fond of ladies' society, and born to

please." The Due de Richelieu was President of the Privy

Council under the Restoration.


" Certain of your mutual esteem, you strove

to augment it. What happiness for me, dear

Duke, to know that you are full of life and

energy ; to remember that I have loved you

from the time of your birth, for hardly had

^ou come into the world than you were

already its ornament.

" But I must tell you both about the King

of Naples. What a kind good man he is !

He embraced me about ten times, that is to

say, as often as he met me during the ball,

which took place at the house of his am-

bassador Gallo.1 He took me up to every

one, saying: ' Suo figlio ! ah! bravo juvene !

e ferito"'2

The Flemish rebellion was drawing to a

close. After shaking off the Austrian yoke

the first act of the Flemish people had

been to divide into two hostile factions,

1 The Marquis del Gallo, Neapolitan ambassador at Vienna,

gave this ball in honour of the betrothal of the King of Naples's

two daughters with two Archdukes, sons of the Emperor Leopold.

2 " His son, ah ! brave young fellow ! is wounded."

208 PRINCESSE DE L1GNE xi

one of which was anxious to preserve the

ancient, aristocratic, and sacerdotal constitu-

tion, to retain which had been the motive of

the revolution, while the other faction sup-

ported the new doctrines of the constituent

assembly in Paris. Leopold, who had learnt

the art of negotiating in Tuscany, and was

an astute politician, cleverly took advantage

of the division of opinions, and on coming

to the throne 1 promised to restore to

Flanders all her ancient privileges, but at

the same time despatched an army strong

enough to subdue her if necessary. The

country offered no resistance. 2

On the 2d of December 1790 Leopold

granted a general amnesty, and before many

months had passed all trace of the disturb-

ances in Flanders had disappeared.

1 The 30th September 1790.

2 The Comte de Browne took back Brussels from the Belgian pat-

riots with a few companies of grenadiers and a handful of hussars. By

dint of care, firmness, and gold, which he distributed in handfuls, he

so completely re-established order and security in the town that it

became more quiet, more submissive, and more prosperous than it

ever had been. {Unpublished Memoirs of the Prince de Ligne.)


After enjoying for some time the happi-

ness of seeing her son, the Princesse de

Ligne left for Brussels and Bel CEil, in order

to repair the damages these residences had

sustained during the revolution, for they

had been abandoned ever since 1787. It

was precisely at this period that Helene's

letters asking for a divorce reached her

husband.

The de Ligne family had several times

expressed their displeasure at the prolonged

stay of the Princesse Charles in Poland. At

first she had answered evasively, then, having

inquired after her little daughter Sidonie,

she ceased writing altogether.

Helene's sudden departure and prolonged

stay in Ukrania had created a great sensation

in Warsaw. The Princesse Marechale and

other great ladies, who were spending the

winter in Vienna, related the adventure, and

commented upon it. The Lignes, as may

easily be supposed, were greatly offended

at Helene's imprudent escapade, and, far

vol. 11 32


from favourably receiving her request for a

divorce, they absolutely refused to con-

sent to it. It may be supposed that if the

lady whom he loved had been free, Prince

Charles would have sent a different answer,

but there existed, evidently, some insurmount-

able obstacle to their union. Meanwhile the

Count, who directed all Helene's affairs,

started for Paris, invested by her with

full powers to treat with the Lignes ; for

the Princesse Charles was still under the

delusion that her request would be granted.

On his arrival in Paris he had a first inter-

view with the Prince de Ligne's steward, and

gave him a copy of his deed of authorization.

The steward went off at once to confer

with the Prince on these grave questions,

but when he returned to Paris he found that

the Count, who in the meantime had heard

from Helene of Prince Charles's decided

refusal, had already taken his departure.

The following is the letter the steward

had brought.

PRTNCESSE DE LIGNE

Letter from the Prince de Ligne.

Vienna, i$th January 1791.

"As we no longer are aware of the Prin-

cesse Charles de Ligne's existence, and as, in

fact, she is dead to us and to our little Sidonie,

we can enter into no arrangements with her.

"A woman kept prisoner by a stupid Po-

lish tyrant should not prevent Sidonie's great-

uncle from paying the bills of exchange, for

which he has given us every possible secu-

rity, and which, according to the desire of

Prince Charles and the Prince- Bishop,

and even according to that of her mother,

are destined to free the estates in Galicia.

She has neither the power nor the right to

administer these estates, as she is under the

influence of a man who publicly manages her

business, for in so doing she might damage

her daughter's interests.

"When she chooses to free herself from

the bondage in which she is living, and take

up her residence either in Paris or Warsaw,


or on one of my estates if she prefers it, she

shall receive an annuity of thirty thousand

French livres, which is the least her husband

intends her to have, as soon as he shall

himself come into the whole of his fortune.

"As the Princesse Charles, if she married

the Count Potocki, would be even more un-

happy than she is at present, her husband,

in her interest and in that of her daughter,

will never give his consent. Ligne.

" The Princess's diamonds and the rest of

her property will be immediately returned to

her, and she must send to Pradel the drawings

belonging to her husband she still has in her

possession."

Prince Charles wished to send back at

once all the diamonds, furniture, and effects

left by Helene at Bel CEil and at Brussels,

and he wrote to his mother urging her to

forward them at once to their destination.

It will be remembered that Helene had left

Brussels hurriedly at the time of the insurrec-


tion, and therefore had not had time to dis-

charge a few personal debts contracted at her

own expense. The Princesse de Ligne wrote

to her daughter-in-law the following letter :

—

Brussels, 24/A February 1791.

" As your husband had written to me,

Madame, that he consented to the return

of everything belonging to you, with the

exception of the books, most of which already

formed a part of the library at Bel CEil, the

rest having been purchased on condition of

their being placed in it, I was about to

order the packing of your effects when your

creditors, hearing of this, came to oppose

the proceedings, alleging that they never

received any answer to the letters they sent

you. They will not allow the removal of the

effects, which are their guarantee ; it is only

out of consideration for me, and on mypromising to write to you myself, that they

have consented to wait long enough for you

to receive this letter and send a reply.


" I therefore beg you, Madame, if you do

not wish to run the risk of having your things

publicly sold, to send me a bill of exchange

or an order on some bank, so that by the end

of April I may be able to meet their claims.

" The bills I have been able to collect,

added to those I already know of, amount

to about five thousand florins in our coin.

As I do not intend to be in Brussels after

the 15th of May, I warn you that unless I

receive the money by the first of the month,

I shall hand over your possessions to a public

auctioneer, who will estimate their value and

settle with the creditors, and I shall have

nothing more to do with it. You will

certainly not profit by this arrangement ; for

I should have been more economical and

have taken more interest in your affairs than

he will.

" Sidonie is in excellent health; she is a

dear little thing, and although you hardly no-

tice her, she often speaks of you, and never

forgets to mention her mother in her little


prayers. Impatiently awaiting your reply,

for, with the precautions I have taken, I am

certain this letter will reach you, I remain,

Madame, yours, etc.

" La Princesse de Ligne."

During these negotiations Helene was

living at Kowalowska in complete retirement.

Her mother-in-law's letter arrived at a moment

when it was impossible for her to send any

money to Brussels. This woman of the world,

accustomed to the most refined luxury, was

almost in actual want, and with very natural

pride would accept nothing from the Count

but the hospitality he had offered her. She

wrote to him as follows :

—

" Your letter has made me very sad.

There is no more question of your return

than if you were never coming back. MM.de Ligne will listen to nothing ; what can I

do ? What line of action can I take ? What

do they want of me ? What is their object ?

They apparently hope that want will make

2i6 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE xi

me submit to their will, and imagine they are

granting me a favour by shutting me up in a

Convent with a pension. 1 But even should

they be willing to receive me back into their

family, I would never return to them ; all is

at an end between them and me, and I should

even prefer the Convent to the trial of living

with people whom I do not love, and who

would despise me ; the word alone makes

me shudder.

" As to the money question, it would be

most painful to me to be a burden to any-

body in the world ; I would sooner live

by manual work, and would not hesitate to

begin by discarding all my household, and

keeping only one servant.

" The few effects I possess, such as books,

music, and some pieces of furniture, I no

longer consider as my own;you will be good

enough to take them into account in the sum

1 This phrase shows that the Count had not sent Helene the

Prince's letter, in which he offered her one of his residences as a

retreat.


I owe you for table expenses, washing, etc.;

for, as regards money, I can give you none.

I have made a purchase this month, which I

should have avoided had I known my affairs

were in such a bad state. I spent forty

ducats in buying linen to make chemises, for

I required some, and it was difficult for me to

do without them. I was shown some fine

linen, and as it is often difficult to procure,

I bought it. If I become a prey to absolute

misery, I shall yet have the necessary courage

to bear it. You will care as much for me in

sackcloth as in silk, and I shall be quite happy.

I do not wish even to return into society. I

became acquainted early in life with its most

brilliant attractions, and soon wearied of them

;

I shall never get weary of a quiet life, even

attended with poverty, if you love me."

The Princesse Charles was a prey to all

kinds of anxiety ; her imagination was con-

stantly inventing dangers :" I am far from

being reassured," she wrote to the Count

;

" on the contrary, it seems to me that each


moment increases my anxiety and worry.

I was told that on his return from Vienna the

Krajczy had gone to Dubus. If you meet

him I fear that he will encourage you to

separate from me ; he will certainly have

known MM. de Ligne at Vienna ; their

cause will have interested him, and he will

try to oblige them by urging you to abandon

me. This idea tortures me. Answer me

directly on this subject. Since Thursday I

have been abandoned to the melancholy

tenure of my thoughts, and that without any

hope of consolation ; I am in great dread

lest your absence should be taken advantage

of to get you to give up all idea of our

union ; do not ever expect my consent to this.

Should it be necessary for your happiness, I

am ready to release you from your vows, but

nothing will induce me to break those by which

I have bound myself to love you always."

The Princess had received a very short

answer to the letter she had sent to the

Prince-Bishop. He had not written himself,


but had replied through his steward that he

would reflect on the subject, and that he

refused for the time being to treat with

his niece's delegate. Helene wrote to the

Count, and added :

—

"If my uncle will not abide by the settle-

ment, he has only to cancel it, and give me

back my lands. But to take possession of

my estates, and give me nothing in return, is

really too unjust, and I cannot believe my

uncle will let me die of hunger. It would be

infamous if, with the immense fortune I pos-

sess, I were reduced to poverty by so cruel

an injustice, notwithstanding every law to the

contrary. God grant that I may escape the

clutches of Silvestrowicz 1 with a sufficient in-

come to be a burden to no one ! But where is

my uncle ? Can I despatch any one to him,

to explain my position and the ill-will of

Silvestrowicz ? I shall find myself without a

sol,2 and then what shall I do ? tell me. But

1 The Bishop of Wilna's steward.

- A halfpenny.

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

how could it be possible for my uncle to rob

me so completely, without my obtaining any

redress ? It is only in this country that such

a thing could take place. I am indeed very

unhappy, but I am so affected by your absence

that it prevents my dwelling upon my other

griefs, which, at this moment, are but a minor

part of my sorrows. Good-bye, Vincent

;

love me, for your love is all I have left."

The Count had just arrived in Poland,

but seemed in no hurry to return to Ukrania.

He wrote to Helene that his own business

kept him away from her, but that she had

nothing to fear from the influences she had

mentioned in a former letter. " I am greatly

relieved," she answers, " to hear at last that

you are in Poland, and to know that I have

nothing to fear from the Krajczy ; his wife, his

daughter, and his sons are all intimate friends

of MM. de Ligne, and I dreaded lest he might

meddle with our affairs. As for myself, I

consider the engagement which bound us

to have been a fatal error, seeing we

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

were so young, and that our only fitness con-

sisted in a mere similarity of birth and fortune.

To you alone I have given my pledge, myreal love, the most chaste and sacred of all

ties.

A short time after Helene had fresh

cause for anxiety. " Fancy," she writes to the

Count, " I have read in the Gazette de Ham-

bourg that Prince Charles is about to return

to the Russian army by Leopol ; he must

therefore pass by Niemirow, or at least quite

near it. I assure you that your Cossacks are

barely a sufficient protection to reassure a

coward like myself." x But the Prince passed

through without troubling himself about her.

At last the Count announced his arrival.

1 The Cossacks inhabited the plains of Ukrania, and the borders

of the Borysthenes (Dniester). These savage hordes, who lived by

plunder and pillage, were sometimes called Zaporogues (inhabitants

of the cataracts). Most of the Polish noblemen in this part of the

country had in their pay some hundreds of these brigands, whocaused the greatest terror. They belonged to those who paid them

best, and the cruelties committed by the Cossacks in Catherine's

pay during the massacres in Ukrania exceeded the greatest horrors

that can be imagined. (See, for more ample details, Comte de la

Garde's Voyage in Ukrania,')

PRINCESSE DE EIGNE

" How my heart beats," writes Helene,

"when I think that the moment is drawing

near which will bring you back to me. I am

so taken up by your return that whether you

have successfully or unsuccessfully settled

my business is a question which does not

interest me as it would at any other time. I

count the minutes, and can only speculate on

the hour at which you started, and the hour

at which you may arrive, and it seems to me

as though I had centuries to wait.

" I hope you will receive this letter on

your way. I have just received one from my

uncle ; it appears that he is not angry with

me, and, with the exception of helping me by

his influence or his money,, is entirely devoted

to me. What irony ! But what can I do ?

If my family is indifferent to me, I am quite

the same towards them;provided that you

always love me, I shall have no wish left in

the world ; I have neither vanity nor

ambition, I have only love."

The Count arrived at Niemirow very much


dissatisfied with his journey, and anxious

about the future. He had thought, from

what Helene had said, that he would meet

with no opposition to a divorce on the part

of the Lignes, and instead of the consent

he expected, he had only received a very

decided refusal, accompanied by a severe

criticism of his own conduct, and of the

interested motives which, rightly or wrongly,

were attributed to him.

He had also fancied he would easily

obtain his wife's consent by leaving her his

two sons ; instead of this, his schemes were

baffled on all sides by very serious difficulties.

On the other hand, the position of the

Princess, who was living an isolated life,

almost hidden, it may be said, in one of the

Count's residences, in the neighbourhood of

Niemirow, could no longer be endured without

serious inconvenience. The Comtesse Anna

was very much beloved in the country, her

two children inhabited Niemirow, and every-

body was beginning to wonder at her


prolonged absence ; how much more extra-

ordinary would it appear when her husband

should return ! All these reflections threw

the Count into a gloomy state of mind;

he made a short stay at Kowalowska, but

Helene was pained by the coldness of his

manner, and the embarrassment he showed

during their first interview ; he briefly

narrated the unsatisfactory results of his

journey, intimating that he could not remain'

at Niemirow, and advising her to go to her

uncle's and wait there for a solution which

was probably very remote.

Although the Count made these announce-

ments with a certain precaution, they pro-

duced a terrible impression on the Princess.

She had behaved with the utmost good faith,

persuaded that, to obtain a divorce and marry

directly after, was the easiest thing in the

world. Her marriage would cover the im-

prudence of her flight, and make every one

forget the conclusions they had drawn from

it. Suddenly she saw her dearest hopes

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

vanish, her honour compromised, and the

man for whom she had sacrificed everything

calmly suggest that she should leave him,

perhaps for ever. The strain on her over-

wrought mind was too great, and she fainted.

When she came to herself her women only

were around her bed, for the Count had

returned to Niemirow. She wrote to him at

once :" When you left me I was in the

greatest despair, yet you never showed the

slightest feeling of pity. I can only say that

I shall find my life odious if you persist in

your intention of abandoning me. I appeal

to you for an account of my destiny thus

committed to your charge. Is it possible you

could dispose of it with so little reflection ?"

Helene in vain waited all day for a reply;

the Count did not answer. The next day

she received a few lines, saying that he

was ill. The Princess was not in the habit

of leaving Kowalowska, and had never

entered the residence where the children of

the Countess Anna were living. But in her

vol. ii 33

226 PRINCESSE BE LIGNE xi

anxiety she forgot all prudence, and wrote as

follows : "I am in despair at hearing you are

ill ; if you had sent me word sooner I should

have perhaps found means of coming to see

you. If you are unable to assist me other-

wise, send me the key of the small garden

gate ; Saint Charles will follow me, and I will

come, for it is impossible for me to let to-day

pass without seeing you ; I am in agony, and

besides I have letters I must show you."

The Count's illness was only too genuine.

The worry he had gone through during his

journey, the awkwardness of his position,

added to bodily fatigue, were probably its

cause. At the end of three days a putrid

fever of an alarming character declared itself,

and for three months he was in danger of

death.

The unhappy Helene did not dare to take

her place at his bedside ; she only went

secretly to his room in order to be certain

that every care was bestowed on him. The

Bishop of Wilna, on hearing what was taking


place, decided at last to write to his niece.

He urged her to come and settle near him

at Werky, and promised to forget her past

impfudences if she would renounce her mad

infatuation for the Count.

The Princess answered :

—

" My dear Uncle—You must certainly

have heard of the Lord Chamberlain's illness;

but what no one can tell you, and what I

myself can hardly express, is the fearful state

of despair I was in on seeing the only happi-

ness possible for me in this world on the very

brink of destruction.

" Now at last, after all my anxiety, he is

out of danger, and although he was on the

point of losing his life, I can truly assure you

that he does not recover from a worse state

than I do myself.

" Your letter arrived at the very moment

that we were beginning to take courage,

and to fancy that our union was still a

possibility; you will imagine my despair


on seeing that you only speak of a

separation.

" I know your kindness of heart, my dear

uncle, and am persuaded that you have never

formed a plan without intending it to bring

about my happiness and tranquillity ; I there-

fore implore you, my dear uncle, not to con-

sider any plan feasible that should remove

me or oblige me to forsake the choice I have

made. Whatever reproach may be cast at

me, I am certain I do not deserve to be

blamed for want of firmness or constancy.

I am quite decided not to change anything

in my way of acting, even should the present

impediments last as long as my life. I there-

fore beg you, my dear uncle, to vouchsafe me

a few words of comfort. Tell me that you wish

to see us happy, but do not tell us that we must

seek our happiness apart from each other.

" Good-bye, my dear uncle ; accept the

tribute of my deepest respect, and the tender

affection which I shall bear you through life.

" H£lene Ligne."


After a convalescence which lasted as

long as his illness, the Count started for

Galicia. He had been touched by Helene's

despair, and by her devotion to him. On

leaving her he promised that he would again

make every effort to obtain the divorce so

ardently desired, and he left her, if not easy

in her mind, at least somewhat reassured.

XII

Return of the Princes to Mons— Emigration in Belgium—A repre-

sentation of Richard Cceur de Lion—Prince Charles re-enters

the Austrian service— He represents the Emperor on his

inauguration as Count of Hainault—War with France—Dumouriez in Champagne— The fight at Croix -aux-Bois—Death of Prince Charles—Despair of the Prince de Ligne.

The pacification of Flanders was an accom-

plished fact, and in 1791 the Prince de Ligne,

accompanied by Prince Charles, officially

entered Mons as Grand Bailiff of Hainault.

A magnificent banquet, followed by a concert

and a ball, was given in their honour by the

States of Hainault, in the Town Hall. 1

Several poems were presented to the

Prince de Ligne by the students of the

college of Houdain and others. It is un-

necessary to say that the virtues of the

1 The expenses of this banquet amounted to nine thousand

eight hundred and ninety-five livres. {Archives of Mons.)

xii PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 231

Prince and the glory of his son were the

chosen theme.

However, in the midst of this concert of

praise, one discordant note was heard. Acertain lawyer from Nivelle, called Masson,

published a libel on the occasion. " Amongst

several other things I have forgotten," writes

the Prince, " he said that at my entry as

governor of Hainault I looked like an old

Sultan, surrounded by women, to whom I

devoted the whole of my attention, and that

I had been stupid enough to accept in good

faith acclamations of ' Long live the Patriot

Prince.' This last statement is true. It was

in a church, where I was either taking or

administering the oath. I accepted this cry

with the rest, without suspecting that its

utterer had any malicious intention. As for

the Sultan, he does me too much honour

;

it is true that, during my tedious progress,

some very pretty girls threw bouquets into

my carriage, and the crowd obliging them to

stop near the door, I thanked them very much,

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

and told them they were charming. The

only reproach which might be considered not

quite unfounded was that concerning my

entry. The war had just ended, as well as

the rebellion in the Netherlands, both of

which had cost me a great deal of money.

I might have made debts and covered my

followers with gold lace ; but I thought, on

the contrary, the people would be grateful to

me for not making too great a display. As

I had two Turks, four Hussars, several

bearded Russians, a Tartar with two drome-

daries, and a Turkish band, he might very

well compare me to Tamerlane or the Em-

peror of China, though I do not remember

exactly which of the two I was supposed

to resemble."

The Princes were very heartily received

by the inhabitants of the good town of Mons,

where they were much beloved ; on the follow-

ing day they started with their family for Bel

GEil.

As soon as he was settled the first thing

xii PRTNCESSE DE LIGNE 233

the Prince did was to erect a monument in hon-

our of his beloved son Charles, to perpetuate

the memory of his brilliant conduct at Sabacz

and at Ismail. He designed it himself, chose

the site, and laid it out so as to imitate a spot

in the Empress's gardens at Czarskoe-Celo.

" By following the left bank of the river," he

says, " you come upon an obelisk dedicated by

Friendship to Valour. It is not my fault if

Charles is the hero of it ; it is not my fault if

Charles distinguished himself in the war ; it

is not my fault if I am the father of such a

perfect being. The father disappears, the

man remains, and the hero is celebrated ; I

must not be accused of partiality, but I may

be accused of pride."

This obelisk, in marble, is forty-five feet

high. On one side is inscribed, in gold

letters, the following :" To my dear Charles,

for Sabacz and Ismail;

" on the second,

"Nee te juvenis memoranda silebo /" and on

the third, "His glory is my pride, his friend-

ship my happiness."

234 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE xn

The de Lignes spent the summer at Bel

CEil, happy to be quiet and united once more

in the country they loved so well ; but to an

attentive observer the tranquillity which

reigned in Flanders was not to be of long

duration ; threatening symptoms might be

discerned on every side. The frightful pro-

gress of the French revolution, and the

presence of the dmigrds in the Netherlands,

caused anxiety in many minds.

Savoy, Switzerland, the Black Forest,

Liege, Treves, Luxemburg, and the Nether-

lands were the first asylums of the persecuted;

it was only later on, when they had lost all

hope of a speedy return, that they went to

Vienna, London, Poland, and Russia. The

Archduchess Marie Christine, regent in the

Netherlands, was the sister of the Queen of

France ; it was natural she should protect the

dmigrds ; but Leopold was not favourably

disposed towards them, and in the very be-

ginning of his reign he requested the Arch-

duchess Christine and the Electors of


Mayence, Cologne, and Treves to do all in

their power to prevent the refugees and the

Princes from doing anything rash. " Do not

allow yourselves to be led into anything,"

he wrote; "do nothing the French or the

Princes ask you to do ; meet them with

civilities and dinners, but give them neither

troops, money, nor help of any sort." Heentirely separated the cause of the King

from that of the dmigris.

The Prince de Ligne was extremely ill-

disposed towards the Emperor Leopold ; he

reproached him with having sucked the milk

of Italian dissimulation, and he would not

have anything to do with his pretended

political calculations. He adored the Queen,

and his heart leaped with indignation at the

thought of the dangers which daily threat-

ened her more and more.

He had vainly solicited a command in

the Austrian army. Leopold had carefully

avoided granting his request, for he feared

the imprudences his vivacity, his opinions,


and his chivalrous devotion might lead him

to commit.

We must admit that the Prince de Ligne

was no passionate admirer of liberty ; he

very soon foresaw the tendencies of the

revolution, and in 1 790 wrote to the Comte

de Segur concerning the National Assembly :

" Greece had her philosophers, but they were

only seven;you have twelve hundred of them

at eighteen francs a day, having no mission

but what they arrogate to themselves, no

knowledge of foreign countries, no general

plan of operations, and not even the sea, which

is a sort of protection to the makers of empty

phrases, and to the laws of the country it

surrounds."

The Prince never missed an opportunity

of showing his sympathy for the royal

family. One day he was present at a re-

presentation of Richard Cceur de Lion at

the small theatre at Tournai. The public

was chiefly composed of French Emigre's,

who were full of hope and illusion, im-


patiently awaiting the time when they should

return to their country. The Prince could

not hear without emotion the air of: ORicJiard ! O mon roi ! Punivers fabandonne}

Tears came into his eyes, and the audience,

perceiving his emotion, frantically applauded.

"At that part," says the Prince, "where the

promise is made to avenge the poor captive

king, I advanced, applauding as though I too

wished to contribute my efforts. I was in

earnest at the time, and it seemed likely that

my services would be accepted. Suddenly

the French ladies, both young and old, in the

excitement rushed out of their boxes, and the

whole of the pit, mostly consisting of young

French officers, jumped on the stage, crying

out :' Long live the King ! Long live the

Prince de Ligne;

' and they only stopped

clapping their hands to wipe their eyes over-

flowing with tears."

Among the young refugee officers who

1 Oh Richard ! oh my King ! the whole world forsakes thee.

238 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE xii

were the most cordially received at Bel CEil

was M. de Villeneuve Laroche. He writes

in his Memoirs :

l "The Prince de Ligne at

this time was residing with all his family at

Bel CEil, a fine estate distant one league from

the town of Ath ; he took pleasure in con-

versing with us about the principles of honour

that were the basis of our conduct, and he

commended us with enthusiasm.

"He was good enough to invite me several

times to dine at his magnificent residence ; I

may even go so far as to say that I formed

quite an intimacy with his eldest son, Prince

Charles, an officer of the very greatest

promise ; he was a colonel major in the

artillery, and had lately distinguished himself

in the war against the Turks. . . .

"The son sympathised with our feelings as

much as his father. He told me one day

that he had just written to the Emperor

asking to be employed in the coalition war,

1 Villeneuve Laroche, Memoirs on Quiberon.


and added that if his request was rejected he

would serve as a mere volunteer with the

French nobility."

Prince Charles had in fact urgently re-

quested to be allowed to return to the Aus-

trian army, with the rank of colonel in the

engineers. After the death of the Emperor

Leopold, which took place on the 27th

of February 1792, the Prince was given an

appointment in General Clairfayt's army corps.

The Austrian general-in-chief was the Duke

Albert of Saxe - Teschen, husband of the

Archduchess Christine.

The campaign was opened against the

armies of the French republic ; and already,

on the 27th of May, Prince Charles had

distinguished himself by his daring valour

in a fight that took place near Conde;

but no great battle was yet imminent. The

enemy confined himself to skirmishes ; the

Duke Albert's headquarters were at Mons,

and the inauguration of the new Emperor,

Francois II., as Count of Hainault, was to


take place in that town. Prince Charles de

Ligne was chosen to represent the sovereign

on this occasion. 1

We read in the Journal du Palais et

historique of the councillor Paridaens the

following paragraph :

—

jth June 1792.

"This day being a feast of the Holy

Sacrament, his Royal Highness the Duke

Albert of Saxe-Teschen, who is Governor-

General of the Netherlands, followed in the

procession. Several generals accompanied

him—among others, the Prince de Lambesc,

of the House of Lorraine, who had been trans-

ferred from the French to the Austrian service,

and also the son of the Prince de Ligne."

1 On the nth June 1792 the inauguration of the Emperor

Francois II. took place at Mons. By letters patent granted at

Vienna on the 19th March, the new Emperor had authorised

the Due Albert de Saxe-Teschen to represent him in this ceremony,

and to take the customary oaths in his name. The Duke Albert

having in his turn appointed the Prince de Ligne, Grand Bailiff of

Hainault, to perform these duties, the latter conferred the honour

on Prince Charles, his eldest son. (Note communicated by M.

Deviller, keeper of the records at Mons.)

xii PRINCESSE BE LIGNE 241

9//* Jiuic.

" On this day, Saturday, the Prince de

Ligne's son, although quartered for some

time at Mons, made his official entry into

the town as Commissary to his Majesty

at the ceremony of Inauguration which is

to take place on the day after to-morrow.

Guns were fired, although we are at the very

seat of war. He entered on horseback by

the Havre gate, crossed the square, and

went up the Rue Neuve to the hotel de

Ligne, 1 while the bells were ringing. Hewas followed by the dragoon officers of

the Coburg regiment, and by his liveried

retainers.

" However, as the French, who were

camped at Maubeuge, showed a disposition

to interfere in the ceremony of Inauguration,

and had in the last few days drawn nearer to-

wards Petit, Quevy, and even Bougnies, on the

evening of the 10th of June an attack was pre-

1 The hotel de Ligne was on the Rue de la Grosse Pomme, it

is now a hospital for incurables.

VOL. II 34


pared and carried out at two o'clock in the morn-

ing. There was a violent onset and sharp can-

nonading, which lasted till five."

Prince Charles, who would not have

missed this fight for anything in the world,

started off in the middle of the night at

the head of his regiment, despite the Arch-

duke Albert's opposition. He fought with

his usual bravery, was very nearly taken

prisoner, having imprudently ventured too

far amidst the enemy ; and at seven in the

morning, black with powder and heated with

the fight, he arrived on horseback, post

haste, barely in time to put on his full dress

uniform and get into his coach.

The ceremony of the Emperor's In-

auguration as Count of Hainault is as old

as the days of Charlemagne, but this was the

last time that the traditional custom was to

be celebrated. We have seen the importance

attached to it by the States of Hainault at

the time of the Flemish insurrection.

xii PRINCESSE BE LIGNE 243

At half-past eight all the clergy of Mons,

the ladies of the Chapter of Sainte Waudru,

following the shrine of the saint, who was

the patroness of Mons, all the magistrates,

the deputies of the town council, the chief

councillor of the Provinces in his State robes,

and the twenty-six deputies of the chief towns

in Hainault, preceded by magnificent banners

from all the parishes, embroidered in gold

and silk, took their places in the theatre.

At nine o'clock his Highness the Prince

Charles de Ligne left his hotel in a coach

drawn by six horses and preceded by a

detachment of dragoons, by the members of

the order of the nobility, each one in a coach

drawn by two horses, and by a herald-at-arms

on horseback, named O' Kelly, bearing his

coat-of-arms, and the cap and wand of

his office. The guards and officers of his

house closed the procession. On reaching

the theatre his Highness seated himself

on an arm-chair under a canopy, above which

was placed a portrait of his Majesty.


When all the different orders were

placed and seated, the trumpets sounded,

Murray's regiment fired a volley of musketry,

the artillery on the ramparts answered by a

salute, and the herald-at-arms, advancing to

the front of the theatre, called Silence

three times. Then the Prince rose, and,

laying his hand on the Gospels, first took

the oath to the Chapter of Sainte Waudru,

of which he was named Abbot. The

Princesse de Croy, first lady of the Chapter,

presented to him the crozier, and a salute

of artillery and music and trumpets, etc., an-

nounced to the people that the first act of the

ceremony had taken place. The Prince after-

wards took the oath to the States, in the

same manner ; and finally, a third time to the

town of Mons, after which he solemnly

received the oaths of allegiance from the said

Chapter, States, and Town.

" During the ceremony," says the coun-

cillor Paridaens, "some national guards, taken

prisoners in that night's encounter, had been


brought to the square, and just as the proces-

sion was threading its way to Sainte Waudru,

at the entrance of the road, it was met by the

generals who were returning from fighting

the French. At the head of these generals

was the Due Albert de Saxe, with his nephew

the Archduke Charles, 1 who had been under

fire for the first time in his life. At that

very moment the news arrived that M. de

Gouvion, Commander-in-Chief of the French

army, had been killed. It was vaguely known

that the French had been repulsed, after

having made, however, a good stand for the

first time. Indeed the cannon had been

heard without interruption from two o'clock

till six in the morning. On the 12th of June

H.R.H. Madame arrived about ten o'clock

in the morning. "On entering the rooms of

the Government House she heartily and re-

1 The Archduke Charles-Louis, born in 1771, and youngest

brother of the Emperor Francois, was one of the best Austrian

generals during Napoleon's wars ; it is rather curious to study the

outset of his military career.


peatedly embraced her nephew, the Archduke

Charles, as one might a friend whom one

sees for the first time after he has encount-

ered a great danger. I saw this from mydining-room windows."

The Prince gave a banquet that evening to

the principal town authorities ; the Archdukes,

the Prince de Lambesc, and other generals

were present. On the following day he re-

turned to the camp, only too glad to have

done with a part so little in keeping with his

natural modesty. Two months went by,

events were succeeding each other in France

with the most startling rapidity, the position

of the royal family was becoming daily more

critical, till the terrible ioth of August induced

the Duke of Brunswick, commander-in-chief

of the allied forces, to alter his plan of cam-

paign. He decided to move on the army in

the direction of the gorge of Argonne, so as

to enter Champagne by Sainte Menehould,

and march on Paris by Chalons. He gave

orders to General Clairfayt to join him with


twenty-five thousand men, who were to

form the right wing of his army. This

change of position on the part of Count

Clairfayt decided Dumouriez, then at the

camp of Maulde, to proceed to the plains

of Champagne with the greater part of his

army.

During the three months that had elapsed

since the inauguration at Mons no important

battle had afforded Prince Charles an oppor-

tunity of distinguishing himself; but, gifted

with a sound judgment and an observant

mind, he had employed the interval in form-

ing a just estimate of the illusions enter-

tained by the dmigrds, and of the very

imperfect description they had given of

the state of France. He wrote from the

camp at Boux a letter, which fell into the

hands of the republicans, and was read at a

public sitting of the Convention. 1

"We are beginning to get tired of

1 Moniteur, " Sitting of the Convention," Thursday evening,

27th September 1792.

248 PRINCESSE BE EIGNE xn

this war, in respect of which MM. les imigrds

had promised us more butter than bread.

We have to fight against troops of the line

who never desert, and national troops who

remain at their posts. The peasants, who

are armed, fire on our men, and if one of

them is found alone or asleep in a house he

is murdered. The weather, since our entry

into France, has been horrible ; it rains

in torrents every day, and the roads are so

bad that at the present moment we cannot

move our cannon ; moreover, we are almost

in a state of famine. We have the greatest

difficulty in obtaining bread for the soldiers,

and meat is often wanting ; many of the

officers remain for five or six days without

warm food. Our shoes and cloaks are

rotten, and our men are beginning to fall

ill ; the villages are deserted, and provide

neither vegetables, nor brandy, nor flour

;

I do not know what we shall do, nor what

will become of us."

This letter expresses a discouragement


that must have been general, and circum-

stances were favourable to Dumouriez in

preparing for the attack ; but it was indispen-

sable that he should at any cost prevent the

allied army from occupying the Argonne pass.

The forest was impenetrable except by five

passages, which it was necessary to guard

and hold against the enemy. These passes

were the Chene-Populeux, the Croix-au-Bois,

the Grand-Pre, the Chalade and the Islettes.

A camp placed at the Islettes and a position

taken up at the Chalade would close the two

principal roads to Clermont and to Var-

ennes, and General Dillon was despatched

for the purpose. Dumouriez established him-

self at Grand-Pre, to close the roads to

Rheims and to the Croix-au-Bois. He sent

orders to General Duval, then at Pont-sur-

Sambre, to break up his camp at once and

advance by forced marches to the pass of the

Chene-Populeux.

Dumouriez felt certain of success, but an

act of imprudence frustrated his hopes.

250 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE

The pass of the Croix-au-Bois had been

considered less important than the others,

and was only defended by a couple of bat-

talions of infantry and two squadrons of

cavalry. Dumouriez, in the stress of the

moment, had not had the time to see and

judge personally of the importance of this

pass, but the German spies, employed to

inspect the different French posts, informed

the Duke of Brunswick of the advantages of

this badly-guarded pass. Clairfayt confided

the attack to Prince Charles de Ligne, who

started on the 13th of September at early

dawn to seize it. The abatis intended

to bar the road had been carelessly made,

the half- buried branches not offering any

resistance to the enemy ; the imperialists

easily forced a passage, and the roads had

been so slightly damaged that they made

their way at once. They met with hardly

any resistance, and easily carried the position.

The men who held it hastily fell back on

Dumouriez's camp ; the latter, anxious at the


turn things were taking, immediately de-

spatched two brigades of infantry, and six

squadrons of cavalry, to General Chazot, with

orders to recapture the pass at any cost.

Chazot spent the day without attacking, but,

on receiving fresh and urgent orders to risk

an attack, he opened fire on the morning of

the 14th.

The attack and the defence were vigorous;

six times the post was carried by the

French, and as often recaptured by the

Austrians. Prince Charles sees that in order

to keep the position it is necessary to capture

a French battery, which, cleverly placed, is

inflicting heavy losses on the Austrians. Avigorous charge is necessary ; the Prince

in person leads the attack on the battery;

eight men in the front rank are shot dead.

He dashes forward himself, the ninth,

but, shot through the head by a bullet, he

reels for a moment in the saddle, and falls

back dead.

The French regained possession of the

252 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE xn

pass, and raised the body of the unfortunate

Prince. They found two gold chains with a

locket round his neck, and in his pocket an

unfinished letter.

Clairfayt, in despair at the cruel loss the

army had sustained, hastened to avenge it,

and took possession of the Croix-au-Bois.

He immediately claimed the body of the

Prince, and it was at once given up. Mass was

celebrated in the camp the following morning,

and the coffin started for Mons. At that

moment M. de Villeneuve Laroche, a guest

at Bel CEil, and a friend of Prince Charles,

arrived on the scene.

"On the battlefield," he says, "where

yesterday the republicans were defeated, I

met a funeral procession, escorted by a few

foreign troops, going in the direction of

Hainault. It was that of the young Prince

de Ligne, who was killed in the fight, and the

body was being taken to his unhappy father

at Bel CEil."

Prince Charles's death was universally de-

xii PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 253

plored ; his brilliant military qualities caused

him to be regretted by the whole army ; the

Baron de Breteuil wrote from Verdun to the

Comte de Fersen : "Yesterday Clairfayt's

army came in for a sharp fight at the out-

posts, in which, however, it was victorious.

Clairfayt's army lost in the attack five or six

hundred men, but what deeply affects me is

that Prince Charles de Ligne was killed. I

loved him from a child ; he was the most dis-

tinguished amongst the Austrians of the same

age. His father will feel the loss terribly."

Prince Charles's body was conveyed to

Bel CEil, after passing through Mons 1at

night, but his father was no longer there;

he had been recalled, with Marshal de

Lascy, to Vienna.

When the terrible news arrived no one dared

to tell him of it, and the Marshal alone had the

courage to undertake the delicate mission.

He sent the Prince word that he had received

1 Forty years ago, at Mons, there were old men who remembered

Prince Charles's death as an event which afflicted the whole city.


bad news from Clairfayt's army, adding that

he would himself come and inform him of it.

"My son is wounded!" said the Prince as

the Marshal entered. The latter remained

silent. "But speak, good God! . .."

—

"Alas! I would not, or I could not, under-

stand," he writes, "when he said that dread-

ful word : Dead / . . . I feel crushed by the

news, and he had almost to carry me away

in his arms. I see it still, the spot where I

was when the Marshal told me that my poor

Charles was killed ; I see my poor Charles

himself, as he welcomed me every day with

the sunshine of his happy and good face. I

had dreamt a few days before that he had

received a mortal wound in the head, and had

fallen dead from his horse. For five or six

days I was anxious, but as one always treats

as a weakness that which is often a warning,

or perhaps a feeling of nature when there are

ties of blood, I cast from my thoughts the

fatal foreboding which was only too soon to

be realised!"

xii PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 255

The Prince never got over his son's

death, and he entirely lost all enjoyment in

life. This sad recollection had made in his

heart a deep and incurable wound. " That

so light-hearted a man," says Count Ouvaroff,

" who had lived through so much and was so

careless of misfortune, should ten years after

this calamity break down at the bare mention

of the beloved name ! No one dared utter

it in his presence ; if he happened to speak

of his son his voice would betray the

intensity of his grief, and his eyes fill

with tears." There is something strangely

touching in this picture of the old man,

formerly so worldly and sceptical, as we

should say nowadays, who would not be

comforted because he still thought of the

child of his heart who was no longer.

"There is," said the Prince with admirable

philosophy, when shortly after he lost all

his fortune, " there is a terrible method of

rising above circumstances. It is bought

at the cost of a great grief. If the soul


has been wounded by the loss of all that

is dearest, I defy minor misfortunes to

touch it ; loss of wealth, total ruin, per-

secutions, injustice, everything sinks into

insignificance."

XIII

Prince Charles's will—Helene receives the news of her husband's

death—Departure for Werky—Helene marries Count Potocki.

The unhappy Prince de Ligne had im-

mediately sent to Bel CEil the necessary

instructions for his son's last wishes to be

fulfilled, but the victory of Jemappes, which

ceded the whole of Belgium to the French,

prevented the de Ligne family from return-

ing to Bel CEil, now in the hands of the

enemy. Prince Charles's wishes were con-

tained in a will written shortly before his

death. We shall see that he instinctively

felt he would fall a victim in the course

of this war. Perhaps, indeed, weary of

life, he sought death, for he seemed to

brave it ; at all events the deepest

melancholy overshadows the following

pages :

—

vol. ii 35

258 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE xm

Prince Charles de Ligne's Will.

"As I shall most probably be killed, if

not in this war at least in some other, I

wish my body to be recovered and my

funeral to be conducted with all the honours

of war, and with the greatest pomp— mili-

tary, of course.

" I wish my body to be carried to Bel

CEil, after having been embalmed, so as

not to incommode any one, for I desire to

be laid with my good ancestors, who from

father to son have all been honest men.

" I desire that my heart be wrapped up

separately in a handkerchief which shall

have belonged to her I love, and which I beg

her to give for that purpose. As she has

always possessed my heart during my lifetime,

I wish it, after my death, to be as happy as a

heart can be in the absence of the beloved one,

that is to say, in company with something that

has been her's. I beg her to embroider

on the first corner of the handkerchief Alona ;

xiii PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 259

on the second Tendresse delicieuse ; on the

third Indissoluble ; and on the fourth the 21st

September 1787, and the date of my death.

" I.—The whole of my collection of en-

gravings, my collection of original drawings,

and in general all the contents of my port-

folios, are to be sold to the best purchaser.

One will have to see in what country the

sale will be most advantageous, whether in

Paris, Vienna, London, or Amsterdam.

" Nota bene.—Should any of my family

wish to have these, he can take them at the

estimated value, which, however, cannot be

less than a hundred thousand German florins;

for the drawings are really priceless, as I

have none of inferior value, and all are

recognised originals. This will, therefore,

bring in a clear sum of a hundred thousand

florins, which will be completely my own,

and quite independent of the succession due

to my natural heirs, which I leave to them

according to law. This sum of a hundred

thousand florins is to be divided into two

260 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE xm

parts : eighty thousand are to be sunk in

an annuity for the benefit of my natural

daughter Christine, so that there will be

eight thousand florins a year for her keep

and education, which, up to the age of fifteen,

may be five hundred florins, and a thousand

florins up to the age of twenty, at which

time she will probably be married, and can

then spend her money as she chooses : In

such a manner, however, that she shall not

spend more than eight thousand florins ; and

that all the money saved on this sum, up to

the age of twenty or five-and-twenty, if she

does not marry before, shall be placed out

at four or five per cent interest ; this will

become her children's property, care being

taken always to add the interest to the

capital.

"II.—Should she die without children,

Norokos is to be her heir. As I am the

adopted father of Norokos, the Turkish child

I found abandoned during the war, the re-

maining sum of twenty thousand florins out


of the hundred thousand realised by the

sale shall be sunk in the same way on his

account. The directions as to its use are

the same as for little Christine. Should he

die without children, Christine is to be his

heir. I recommend their marrying, if they

have any inclination one for the other ; it is

my greatest wish, and I beg my sister

Christine to encourage this. I appoint her

their guardian, and in default of my sister

Christine, I appoint Madame la Comtesse

Therese Dietrichstein, formerly married to

Comte de Kinsky. I bequeath also to little

Christine the portrait of her mother, painted

by Le Clerc, and the chain I wear round

my neck, with the following words on the

clasps :' Ces liens me sont chers ' (these

ties are precious to me). I beg her never

to part with it, but always to wear it as a

remembrance of myself and of the person

who gave it to me.

" III.—My dispositions for the servants.

" I bequeath to Norokos my damaskeened


Turkish gun with gold mountings, and my

sabre with the steel guard—the one I carried

during this war, in order that he may

remember that it is to war he owes his

condition ; that he must look upon a military

career as his fortune, his element ; and upon

the army as his country.

" IV.— I bequeath to my father the small

painting by Le Clerc and M. Duvivier's draw-

ing, both representing the fight at Posig, and

I beg that my crosses of the orders of Merit

and that of Saint George be suspended from

them, since I won them by my father's ex-

ample ; and as also I owe the happiness of

having acquired some friends in the army

through listening to all Lieutenant Wolff said

to my father when dying, and remembering

it all my life.

" V.— I bequeath to my sister Christine

all my framed drawings, with the miniatures,

cameos, and small frames.

"VI.— I bequeath to my daughter Sidonie

her mother's portrait, so that she may re-

xni PR1NCESSE DE LIGNE 263

member not to follow her example, and the

Turkish sabre given me by Prince Potemkin,

which she is always to keep in her room,

so that her children may understand that I

intend them to become soldiers ; when her

son fights his first battle, in which, I trust,

he will distinguish himself, she will give him

this sabre from me.

"VII.— I bequeath to Madame de Kinsky,

who was Countess Dietrichstein by birth, all

the framed engravings I have in my apart-

ment at Bel CEil, and also the chain I wear

round my neck which was given me by her

dearest friend ; I venture, on this account, to

beg that she will wear it all her life, in

remembrance of one whose happiness was

bound up with that of Madame de Kinsky;

this I positively affirm.

"VIII.— I bequeath to Madame la

Princesse de Lichtenstein, a Mandesch by

birth, several things I have at Brussels,

which will be described later on, and besides

these my watch, as a token that the happiest

264 PRINCESSE DE EIGNE xm

hours it has told are those I spent with her,

and that to the very last I thought of her as

a friend whose place in my heart was next to

the one I have always adored.

" IX.— I bequeath to the Princess Jablon-

owska, Countess Czaski by birth, several

things I have at Brussels, which will hereafter

be named, and also the ring I always wear

with the motto ' Indissoluble,' the small port-

folio with the chain, and the other portfolios

or caskets containing letters and manuscripts

written by myself. I give this last proof

of my confidence to her who has most

claims on my gratitude for past kindness,

who has best understood the nature of my

thoughts, of my troubles,—in short, to a true

friend, whom I am sure not to forget even in

the other world.

"X.— I bequeath to the Princess Linowska,

Thun by birth, my fine edition of Shake-

speare's works, and the best English horse in

my stable, on condition that it will be kept

exclusively for her use.

xin PRINCESSE DE EIGNE 265

"XI.— I bequeath to Mademoiselle Caro-

line de Thun my eight handsome silver

candlesticks, and my handsome coffee-pot,

and besides this an annuity of twenty ducats,

in order that she may procure for herself

wherever she goes, and even in the house

which she most frequents, the best arm-chair

or couch that can possibly be made.

" XII.— I bequeath to Madame de Woina 1

a table and a tea-service, in order that she may

remember the pleasure I had in going to take

tea with her ; also two Turkish sabres for her

children, Maurice and Felix.

"XIII.— I bequeath to my good friend

Poniatowski, my sabre set with Marshal

Laudon's stone, and also the shoulder belt,

requesting him to wear it should he meet the

enemy, in honour of one who to save his life

would willingly have sacrificed his own.

Also my fine horse Winer, so that he may be

cared for all his life.

1 These three ladies were sisters.

266 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE xiii

"XIV.— I bequeath to my brother Louis

the King of Poland's sabre and Marlborough's

pistols.

" XV.— I bequeath to my friend Francois,

Comte de Dietrichstein, the arms found with

me if I am killed, or that belong to me should

I die a natural death, excepting those disposed

of by special legacies ; I beg him to collect

and distribute the above-named legacies, and

I am certain that he will not leave my body

to the enemy. Should, however, an accident

intervene, such as his being wounded him-

self, he must neglect nothing in having it

reclaimed, with the chains and other things

I wear on my person.

"XVI.—The portraits of Mesdames de

Kinsky, Lichtenstein, Jablonowska, Linow-

ska, and Caroline, as well as Poniatowski's and

that of Madame de Woina, which I request

may be obtained, shall be placed in my apart-

ment in the tower at Bel CEil, where I have

already placed the coloured prints belonging

to Madame de Kinsky. My wife's portrait

xin PRINCESSE DE LIGNE 267

is to be previously removed and placed in the

lumber-room. This chamber is to become a

Temple to Friendship, and over the door shall

be inscribed the words : Abode of the insepar-

able.

" I request that my bust shall be placed on

a pedestal in the centre of the tower, and

turned in the direction of Madame de Kinsky's

portrait, and I beg my father to compose and

have engraved on this pedestal some verses

describing the happiness I have enjoyed in her

society ; but they must not contain any praise

of myself ; under each portrait he will write in

verse a description of the person represented.

" XVII.—Arrangements for my household

(not copied).

"XVIII.— I bequeath to Madame de

Kinsky my good dog Tristan, that he may

be taken good care of ; he has been treated

by me as I was by her, like a good and ever-

faithful dog."

Note added by the Countess Dietrichstein.—" The body was embalmed, and, considering


the circumstances, sent to Bel CEil by mail

coach. A Mass was said at the headquarters

at Boux, in the presence of all the officers;

and orders were given that the last honours

should be rendered to his memory on the

passage of the coffin through Mons, where

he was well known and beloved.

" In order to carry out his wishes as much

as possible, the handkerchief will be placed

in his coffin ; the date he asks for is unfortun-

ately from the 21st of September 1787 to the

14th of September 1792."

Notwithstanding the mysterious reserve

with which the Prince expresses himself, it

is difficult not to believe that Madame de

Kinsky was the secret object of his deep

attachment. On reading his last wishes, so

imbued with nobleness, tenderness, and gener-

osity, we wonder how Helene could have so

misunderstood him, and obliged him as it

were to transfer his affection to another.

Perhaps she was not entirely responsible

for their disunion ; a mother or a friend like


Madame de Rochechouart might have

guarded her at the outset from many an

imprudent step. It was impossible to expect

experience and wisdom in a child of fifteen.

During the last two years she had begun to

feel how dearly they are purchased.

All this time Helene had remained alone

at Kowalowska. Notwithstanding the im-

prudences her passion for the Count had

led her to commit, she had never for one

moment entertained any other idea than that

of marriage, though she knew in what light

her conduct was judged by the world.

Mortified and discouraged, Helene was

giving herself up to the gloomiest ideas, when

she suddenly received the news of her hus-

band's death. The sudden transition from

despair to joy stunned her at first ; but soon

only one feeling possessed her soul, that of

her freedom, and she hurriedly wrote these

few lines to the Count :

—

"A cannon-ball has carried off Prince

Charles. I am free ; it is God's will : This

27

o

PRINCESSE DE LIGNE xm

cannon was loadedfrom all eternity Z"1 And

absorbed in the selfishness of her passion, she

did not for one instant regret the first com-

panion of her life, or shed a tear for the father

of her child. His glorious and touching end

did not inspire her with an atom of pity.

And then, as if, indeed, death had received

from God the mission of removing all possible

obstacles to Helene's happiness, a few days

later the second son of the Countess Anna

died of a gangrenous sore throat, before his

unhappy mother was able to reach him ; and

that nothing might be wanting to complete

the romance, the Princess heard almost at

the same moment of the death of her brother

Xavier, leaving her heiress to an income of

six hundred thousand livres. 2

The Count had reached Niemirow in time

to see his son, of whom, it must be added,

Helene had taken the utmost care. He wrote

1 These were the words Madame de Sevigne used when writing

to Bussy Rabutin on the death of Turenne.

2 Twenty-four thousand pounds.


in all haste to the Countess Anna to tell her

the fatal news, and then in another letter he

announced to her Prince Charles's death, and

offered to give her back at once her eldest

son, Francois, in exchange for her consent to

their divorce. The unfortunate woman re-

sisted no longer, she only begged that the

legal forms should be carefully observed in

obtaining the consent of the Court of Rome,

hoping that in the interval her husband might

return to her before the last step was taken.

Directly after his mother's answer the little

Count Francois, accompanied by his gover-

ness and servants, started to meet her.

Without loss of time Helene wrote to her

uncle, whose character she well understood;

she told him of her husband's death, and

implored his aid for the settlement of her

brother's affairs ; she ended by asking him

to see Count Vincent, who would be able to

explain many important details difficult to

negotiate in writing. She sent this letter to

the Prince- Bishop by Major Hoffman, a


Polish gentleman attached to the service of

the Lord Chamberlain.

The embassy was a complete success.

The prelate, calculating that Count Vincent

Potocki living would be infinitely more useful

to him than the Prince de Ligne dead, wrote

to the Count, and begged him to come and

see him when he should next go to Warsaw,

and in the meanwhile offered to receive his

niece at Werky. Helene sent the following

reply :

—

December 1792.

" My very dear and very honoured

Uncle— It is with the deepest gratitude that

I received through Major Hoffman the as-

surance of your paternal disposition towards

me. It has awakened in me the warmest and

strongest feelings. Pray receive, my dear

uncle, my compliments and my thanks.

Many things at present prevent my going

to see you as I should wish, but as soon as,

by the grace of God, I am able to do so, I

shall have the honour of presenting myself


in person, and reiterating to you the deep

respect with which I have the honour to

subscribe myself, my very dear and revered

uncle, your very humble and obedient servant

" H£l£ne Massalska,

" Dowager-Princesse de Ligne."

Then she wrote to the Count Vincent

:

" I do not advise you to await the arrival of

the Prince -Bishop before writing to him, for

he is one of those persons who never know

when they will start or when they will arrive.

You could send a messenger to Werky, who

would wait for an answer, which might per-

haps hurry on matters ; but if the Prince-

Bishop could see you, he would do every

thing you wish, and we should be happy."

The Count did not make up his mind

to go, and Helene, fearing his capricious

and irresolute character, went to Werky her-

self. She entreated her uncle to apply to

the Pope, so as to hasten the formalities

necessary for the divorce, for she was in

VOL. 11 16

274 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE

daily fear that the project on which she had

set her heart should fall through.

Everything took place in accordance with

the Princess's wishes, and tJwee months after

the death of Prince Charles de Lig-ne theo

marriage of Helene and Count Potocki was

celebrated at midnight in the Chapel of the

Convent of the Bernadines near Werky.

The apparent motive of this secrecy was the

Princess's mourning, as yet too recent to

allow of an official wedding ; but it must be

added that the permission for a divorce had

not yet arrived from Rome, and only came

three months later. It required all the in-

fluence of the Prince-Bishop to obtain a priest

that should celebrate the marriage under such

conditions.

On entering the Chapel, and at the moment

of realising the happiness she so ardently de-

sired, Helene experienced the deepest emo-

tion, mingled with a vague sense of terror. She

knelt beside the Count, and remained motion-

less, her eyes fixed on the ground, and ab-


sorbed in her thoughts. When the Count

gave her his hand to lead her to the altar

she rose to her feet, but suddenly stopped

short, with a fixed and terrified gaze, a prey

to the most terrible hallucination. By the

flickering light of the wax tapers she fancied

she saw three coffins laid across her path,

which she would have to step over on her

way to the altar. The Count, appalled at

Helene's terrified look, inquired in a low

voice the cause of her alarm ; the sound of

his voice recalled her to herself, and, chasing

away the horrible vision by a strong effort of

will, she resolutely ascended the three steps

of black marble, which a moment before had

presented such a sinister appearance. The

bridal pair returned to Werky, and the

terrible moment was soon forgotten.

After a prolonged stay in Lithuania, during

which the Lord Chamberlain visited his wife's

extensive domains, they both returned to

Ukrania, and Helene triumphantly entered

the Count's abode, whither she had gone in

276 PRINCESSE DE LIGNE xin

such fear and trembling at the time of his ill-

ness. The past and all its sorrows were for-

gotten, and, radiant with happiness, she wrote

to her husband, who was absent for a few days :

" To-morrow I shall see you again, and see

you still the same, for I do not want you ever

to change in the smallest degree : virtues,

attractions, wit, faults, caprices, all are

precious to me ; if you were more perfect,

you would no longer be the Vincent for whose

sake I should have been guilty of the greatest

folly, if kind heaven had not permitted that

all should be for the best in the end."

THE END

Printed by R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh.

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Memoirs of the Princesse de Ligne, Volume II

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